


Seeking Redemption

by Seeker_Sister



Series: Scintillam Vinctum [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers Generation One
Genre: Conflict, F/M, Fish out of Water, Post-Transformers: The Movie (1986), The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (IDW), Trust Issues, rodimus prime - Freeform, starscream/oc - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:36:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 36,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21601585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeker_Sister/pseuds/Seeker_Sister
Summary: whoops! ok! screwed up making the series in order! currently trying to fix it. I accidentally set Seeker Frustration as the second part when its meant to be the first! sorry for the mix-up. trying to fix it now! I R welder! omg!update: well I followed the instructions in FAQ so I hope it sorts its self out eventually since the site has had some response issues I guess * crossing fingers*
Series: Scintillam Vinctum [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1556860
Comments: 14
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> whoops! ok! screwed up making the series in order! currently trying to fix it. I accidentally set Seeker Frustration as the second part when its meant to be the first! sorry for the mix-up. trying to fix it now! I R welder! omg!  
> update: well I followed the instructions in FAQ so I hope it sorts its self out eventually since the site has had some response issues I guess * crossing fingers*

The seeker couldn’t tell how long it was until he realized he was alive. Alive and semi-conscience. Considering the huge risk they had taken relying on the femme’s ability to control her power he expected to never be conscience again. Focusing his processor the mech concentrated on his body. Sensors relayed he was whole and uninjured. He then made efforts to move his servos and pedes. Success had him sighing in relief. Next, he commanded his optics to come online. As they did he was bombarded by white/yellow light. Squinting through the blinding glare his vision cleared to find he was looking at a blue sky with wisps of white cloud slowly drifting with a slight breeze. He held his intake, afraid to move. It wasn’t until the distant call of an avian creature sang through the air did he dare hope. He recognized the sound. It was a robin’s call…an earth animal!

Before he realized it he had shot upright, optics wide, taking in his surroundings with joy and relief. He was sitting on a lush, grassy hill, littered with various forms of shrubbery. He smiled as he saw the various trees, their limbs and foliage swaying in the wind. Closing his optics for a moment he took in the scent of the air. ‘Never thought I’d be so glad to see this much organic stuff,’ he chided himself.

Suddenly dread filled his spark as his optics snapped open once more and he looked for his companion. When he didn’t see her he sprang to his feet and rushed to the top of the hill, scanning in every direction.

“Knightflyer! Knightflyer!” he called at the top of his vocalizer. He was about to spring into the air until a gust of wind disturbed some high grass and he caught a glint of gunmetal armor. Sprinting to the spot he found his femme intact but unconscious. As he gathered her into his arms he scanned her systems and with alarm found her energy was severely low, the worst he’d seen her thus far. Holding her tightly he brushed her hair away from her face as he felt lubricant well behind his optics.

“You did it!” he whispered. “You saved us. Now it’s my time to save you. I’ll get you back to your people and you’ll be alright!” Starscream was about to start a transfusion until he heard the ground disturbed behind him. He froze, hoping it wasn’t Megatron. He had turned on his energy dampener in hopes it would keep him from being discovered by the mad tyrant. It was the last thing in the world he wanted. He remained still, hoping he had just been hallucinating until a smooth voice cut through the air like a knife.

“If I were you, I’d unhand the lady, Starscream.”

The mechs fuel pump froze, he recognized the voice. Slowly he turned around and was met with a very familiar indigo visor narrowed in his direction as well as a blaster. What was worse was he then noticed the two twin front liners saddling beside their commander, weapons trained on him as well.

On reflex, he tightened his grip on Knightflyer. The last thing he wanted was to let her go but he knew if he had any hope of staying by her side he had to extend trust in order to receive any. Because of the war trust from anyone would be a tall order but he had to start somewhere. Swallowing hard he nodded at Jazz and gently laid the femme down in the soft grass. Slowly he rose to his feet and backed away a few steps, servos held up in surrender.

Jazz gestured in the twin’s direction and in a flash they rushed the seeker. Before he knew it Sideswipe was behind him, pinning his arms behind his back. He fought the instinct to fight back with all his might knowing that would make the situation worse. For a moment he felt hopeful until the golden mech in front of him began to wring his fists together, with a maniacal grin across his faceplate.

“Wait! I don’t want to…” he sputtered as a fist met his lower jaw with so much force it cracked his lip. Shrieking in pain he again fought his instincts and turned his faceplates to the ground, seeing Energon pooling beneath him. ‘I’m in trouble!’ he was about to call out to Jazz and beg for a reprieve when he was struck again in the torso. The feeling of his cockpit cracking made his knees buckle. On some level, he made peace with himself that he did indeed deserve this. All the sins he had committed over the centuries could never be atoned for with anything short of his death.

‘If I survive this, at least I hope I’ll be able to be at her side…I hope’ was his last rational thought as another blow to his helm had him crash onto his back into the grass and soil. His senses were scrambled as Sunstreaker straddled him and continued to thrash his helm, taunting him as he did so. All Starscream could do was look in his lover’s direction as the black and white mech went to her prone body.

The Autobot commander knelt beside Knightflyer and scanned her as he lifted her into his lap. Finding no injuries he sighed in relief but found her Energon levels dangerously low. He had been so focused on her condition he didn’t notice the barbarism being committed a few feet away. That was until he heard Starscream choke and cough out a spurt of Energon.

“That’s enough, you two!” the bot called out assertively. Sideswipe, who had been holding down the flyer let go and backed away from him. Sunstreaker, on the other hand, continued his assault. “Sunstreaker, stand down, now! That’s an order!” Jazz bellowed. The force in his voice seemed to rattle Knightflyer to consciousness. He felt her stir in his arms and focused his attention on her. Her optics dimly opened as she tried to squirm. “Welcome back, Darlin, ’" he greeted her. As her vision focused on him, he saw her smile in relief.

“I’m…back?” she weakly asked. The Autobot nodded with a comforting smile. Her smile turned into an overjoyed sob. “I did it..! He said I could and I did! We’re back! We’re…” her previous expression of joy was suddenly replaced with worry and terror. “Starscream….where…where is Starscream?!” The panic in her voice made Jazz stiffen, ‘what has that slag done to her??!!’ he raged in his processor.

Despite her weakened state, she wrestled with him to sit up and gasped at what she saw. Sunstreaker was still trying to attack the senseless seeker but now his red twin was trying to hold him back, going off Jazz’s order. “No!” she screamed. Jazz tightened his grip on her shoulders, trying to make himself a wall between her and the seeker.

“It’s ok! It’s ok! He won’t hurt you anymore. We’ve got you, Darlin. ’” To his surprise, she didn’t calm down and almost seemed furious as she fought to get free of him. Glancing to the brawl in front of them Sideswipe had managed to pull his brother away from Starscream until the golden mech uppercut him to break free. “It’s ok, they’ve got him…”

“No! Don’t hurt him!!” Knightflyer shrieked as tears streamed from her optics. Her voice made both front liners freeze and turn their helms in her direction. They watched as she broke free of Jazz, also stunned to stillness. She dove between Starscream and Sunstreaker holding up her hands. “Don’t! Please! Don’t hurt him anymore, Streaker!” she panted as she pleaded. After the moment of shock wore off, the golden mech backed away and both twins turned to Jazz for their next move. He could only open his mouth and shake his head. The feme turned to the seeker and stroked his helm. “Are you alright?” she asked him. After a few seconds, he seemed to find his senses and sat up, holding his battered helm. A few blinks later he noticed Knightflyer before him, holding his shoulders tightly. After coughing out a few drops of Energon he cupped her faceplate and smiled at her. “I did it, didn’t I? We’re back, we’re safe…your…safe…” her voice trailed off as the light died in her optics and she collapsed onto him.

“Knightflyer!” Starscream cradled her in his arms as he scanned her again. Her levels were going critical. Ignoring the Autobots around him he accessed her port and started an Energon transfusion. There was an almost deafening silence before he confirmed her levels were stabilizing. “Thank Primus...” he breathed as he stroked her faceplate. Suddenly he remembered the three Autobots that were staring at their display in dismay. As much as he wanted to growl his disdain he knew her survival hinged on getting her to a medic as soon as possible. With a deep intake and a grunt, he hoisted the femme into his arms and stood as confidently as he could.

“Jazz, I know we’ve had our share of altercations but I’m sure you would agree that right now her wellbeing takes priority.” The Autobot commander glared in the seeker’s direction. Starscream was notorious for tricks and schemes to further his ends. Jazz would not have put it past him to use her as a trump card. As though the seeker could read his mind that moment he hung his head. “I know you have no to cause to trust me. Our pasts are wrought with devastation and pain. I’ve sinned against our race more times than I can recall. For her sake, please, hear me out.” Jazz stared into the seeker's optics and found…desperation. Without a second thought, he holstered his weapon and motioned to the other two to do the same. They did so with uneasy looks. Jazz then nodded toward Starscream, motioning him to continue.

“Her Energon levels are almost critical, the worst I’ve seen them get thus far. I’ve started a transfusion but because of her unique nature…I don’t know if it will be enough. She exhausted herself getting us back…here.” Starscream found himself wanting to caress her face again but had to reign in his emotions. “Jazz, if you allow me to carry her to your base, to receive medical treatment, I will surrender myself into Prime’s custody.” The seeker felt like time stood still waiting for a response. Despite being sure they would go with his proposal for her wellbeing he was still fearful.

The Autobot stood, expressionless, as he considered the offer. The last few minutes seemed like a surreal drama, like The Outer Limits or something. The two of them had disappeared months ago and returned neither acting normally. Never had Jazz seen the dreaded air commander show an ounce of concern for anyone, least of all an enemy. Nor did he expect the femme to be concerned with the seeker’s health and safety based on their very first encounter. Regardless, her safety was the most important at the moment and if she had an airlift ready and waiting, that would save time. After a sharp vent, Jazz readied to address the flyer.

“Let’s say we agree to this, how am ah supposed to trust ya to keep your word?”

“Because she trusted me and I owe her my very life at least threefold by now. I would rather die than break her spark like that!” the seeker's words were strong and true. As he said them his frame straightened with pride and honor. The Autobot commander could only blink at the display. He had never seen the mech so resolute.

“Alright. You follow close to us an’ no funny business.” The twins glared in the seeker's direction. “Otherwise you’ll have them to deal with again.” Starscream only nodded in agreement and waited for Jazz to signal departure. “Ok! Let’s roll!” and with that, the Autobots transformed into their vehicle modes and sped off in the direction of Autobot city. Starscream was hot on their bumpers, with Knightflyer cradled in his arms.

/Jazz, what the hell is going on?!/ Sideswipe shot through the private com to his commander. Jazz was at a loss himself. For the last 5 minutes, he had been trying to recollect the recent incursion that had cost so many lives as well as the encounter with Unicron. During all of it, he couldn’t recall Starscream having any involvement.

/ah don’t know ‘Sides. But I’m sure we’re gonna find out soon/ Jazz took the moment to open a line to the base.

/Jazz to Autobot City, come in./

/Blaster here, my man. How’s the cruisin’ today? /

/I’d say on the stormy side. Ah need you to radio Rodimus and First Aid. We checked out a weird energy disturbance and we found Knightflyer! She’s in a bad way. We need medical on hand when we arrive. Also might need a security detail on deck. We’ll be comin’ to the main entrance. /

/why you need the muscle? /

/Cuz, we also got Starscream following us. /

/Damn, man! You sure you don’t need ‘em out there right now?!/

/the kicker, Blaster, is that we’re escorting him. He’s carrying her for us. So far, he’s been civil but doesn’t hurt to be careful, ya dig? /

/Rodger, my man. I’ll round up the troops! Blaster out. /


	2. Chapter 2

During the journey to the Autobot’s base, Starscream had to resist the urge to fly ahead of his escort. He knew where it was and could fly faster than the grounders could drive. The mech tried to concentrate on monitoring the feme in his arms, still unresponsive. Not wanting to give the trigger happy twins a reason to open fire he stuck as close to Jazz as he could. As they approached the final bend in the road before the Autobot base Starscream tightened his hold on Knightflyer. ‘This may be the last time I’ll ever hold her again,’ the thought made him want to purge his tanks. He knew after he released her to their care he would be at their mercy. Knowing Optimus to be somewhat of a soft spark he tried to hope for the best.

When the city came into view his thrusters almost stalled at the sight. Half of the compound was decimated! Even parts of the hydro platform were gouged out. Following it with his optics he spied the welcoming party at the entrance at the end of the path. Scanning quickly he recognized Ultra Magnus, Springer, old Kup and…Hot Rod? ‘Strange, I don’t see Optimus’ he mused, puzzled. ‘I guess I’m not worth the Prime’s time.’

Besides the group gathered, a bot steering a medical platform rushed up to the front. Starscream blasted ahead of the three cars, straight toward the red and white mech. Landing beside the gurney he nodded to the bot, he now saw was a medic, and after one last squeeze gently lowered the feme to the platform. He disconnected the transfusion line and placed a servo on her forehead.

“Hang in there, please” he breathed, his voice no more than a quivering whisper. “You’re going to be alright now.” Again he found himself fighting his instincts. He wanted so badly to kiss her, perhaps for the last time. Frustrated, he glared at the small medic with a stern look. “What are you waiting for? Don’t you have a job to do?!” As he snapped at the other mech he realized he had just acted like his own Decepticon self. He was almost disgusted at how easily he had done it, too. Conflicted or not his venom shocked the stunned bot into action as he rushed the unconscious Autobot into the base. He watched as she disappeared down the orange hallway. ‘Time to face the music’ he bemoaned as he remembered the others, staring at him with shocked faceplates.

Turning to the group of Autobots he found Jazz and his subordinates had joined them. The twins remained alert, ready to draw a blaster at a moment’s notice. He studied the group. Jazz had obviously radioed ahead of their arrival judging by the security detail present, a sensible action indeed. Getting a closer look, he found he had spotted Hot Rod, although he seemed much larger and imposing.

“Well, Hot Rod. It seems you’ve had some modifications since we last met.” Again he fell back into his old smugness but couldn’t help it at the moment. “I’m shocked. I would have expected Optimus himself would have come to witness my surrender.” Like a switch had been thrown the light drained from all their optics followed by gasps, seemingly in unison.

“What the hell did you just say?!” growled Springer. Staving off panic Starscream scanned the expressions of the other mechs. Some looked stunned while others began to shake with rage, like the robust Hot Rod. Struggling to remain composed the seeker tried to choose his next words carefully.

“Forgive me; I’m just surprised to not see the Prime here.” Swallowing hard he continued. “Unless something has befallen him…” at that the rage melted from the large red mechs face and was replaced with a solemn stare. The seeker watched Hot Rod straighten his stance and look him square in the optics.

“You’re right, Starscream.” The deep timber in his voice surprised the seeker. “He fell in the attack Megatron launched here no more than two weeks ago.” Starscream stood in shock. He had a memory of vague plans he had heard his old leader utter before his last mission. Despite death being a reality of war part of him couldn’t imagine he’d ever hear this news.

“And it’s not Hot Rod anymore. It’s Rodimus…Rodimus Prime.” The seeker’s optics widened even more with the realization of what that meant. Judging by the new Prime’s solemn tone the grief of the loss was still very near to his spark. He saw the other’s tense frames slouch with despair. Starscream merely nodded and looked at the ground, still trying to process the situation. After a moment of mutual silence, he raised his optics to meet the new Prime’s.

“My condolences. I’m sure of all the mechs in the universe he would’ve appreciated this the most.” With that Starscream, Air Commander and Second in Command of the Decepticon forces…dropped to one knee in supplication. “I, Starscream, surrender myself unto your mercy and humbly request asylum.” Holding his intake, he waited for Rodimus’ answer. It felt like an eternity before he heard his gruff voice, fighting back anger.

“Really, air commander? Why would you willingly degrade yourself this way unless it’s just one of your tricks? After the eons that this war has dragged on, all the heinous things you’ve committed? Why shouldn’t you be executed on the spot?!” the pain in his voice was hard not to notice. Behind Rodimus, the seeker could hear the others ready themselves for the order. Starscream wouldn’t have been surprised if he issued it. If this was a group of Decepticons he wouldn’t’ve been given the chance to speak and would already be terminated. But this wasn’t Optimus and he feared the impulsive nature their new leader was famous for.

“Because…she gave me a chance…” the tri-colored mech stuttered causing Rodimus to cock his helm in confusion. “She gave me the chance to be who I used to be. I owe her my life more than you know. I’m sick to my spark of this war. If you won’t grant me this request than you might as well kill me right now! I’d rather die than return to Megatron! In all honesty, he probably would tear my spark from my frame if I did so anyway.” There was no malice in his voice, just a resolute tone and pained expression. The Prime was taken aback by this and the hint of desperation he couldn’t place. This type of behavior was completely unnatural for the dreaded air commander. For the first time in his life, the Autobot felt he could believe him.

What began to trouble Rodimus was Knightflyer being named as a reason to trust him. The pair had shown up after both being presumed dead. Rodimus wanted answers and killing Starscream didn’t feel justified to that end. He could feel the other’s optics trained on him, waiting for his decision. Up until then, he hadn’t felt the full weight of leadership and responsibility. He had already been questioning his own ability to be a leader, despite assurances from Kup and Ultra Magnus. He’d been told the Matrix chooses it's Prime and he shouldn’t question it. Now here he was with a war criminal on his knees begging for mercy. By rights, he knew he could terminate the seeker and no one would question it. However, when he thought of Optimus, he knew in his spark his old leader would honor a sincere request. With a sharp vent, he made up his mind.

“Alright,” he stated followed by another round of gasps in the small crowd. He watched the taut expression on the flyer’s face melt into relief. “You will be escorted to the brig, where you will remain while we sort out this situation. You will be disarmed and placed under guard around the clock, understood?” his gaze remained on the seeker, waiting for an acknowledgement. With a small nod, Starscream rose back up onto shaking pedes. ‘He was seriously expecting a firing squad…’ his spark felt cold at the thought of the terror the other mech must’ve felt. Turning to Ultra Magnus he gestured to Starscream. “Magnus, would you please escort our… refugee to the brig?”

“With pleasure, sir” the large blue bot boomed as he produced a set of wrist bindings. The seeker approached him, helm held low. As the head of security secured him Starscream sharply turned to face Rodimus, a concerned look on his face.

“Rodimus! May I make one last request?” the seeker asked, almost desperately. The Prime nodded. “Can you let me know if she’s going to be alright?” Starscream all but begged. “please, I’m worried… about…” the seeker lost his voice as he realized what he was saying and saw the look of confusion on Rodimus’ face.

“Yes, …of course” Prime agreed with great unease.

“Thank you…” the flyer bowed respectfully as Ultra Magnus took his shoulder to lead him away. Rodimus, Kup, Jazz and the others watched the sight of Starscream being led off to his cell.

“Never in a million years did I expect that,” Kup broke the silence with what everyone else was thinking. “Wonder what scrambled his processor?”

“Both of their processors…” Jazz shifted uncomfortably as the old mech and Rodimus both focused on him. “Whatever happened to ‘em must’ve been one hell of a thing.” The Prime’s optics narrowed at his words before waving over Springer.

“I’m going to head to sickbay and check on Knightflyer’s condition. Take the twins and find something for them to do. Until we get a handle on the situation we should keep as many hands close by as possible.” The broad green mech motioned for the two to follow him. They shuffled behind him, dreading the menial duties they were probably going to get stuck with.

“You two,” Rodimus addressed Kup and Jazz, “walk with me for a bit, would you?” both bots nodded and took a place on either side of their leader. Jazz knew he was going to be asked about what happened out there but was apprehensive to tell the Prime. He knew Rodimus and the femes history. A Prime or not Rodimus was still a little hot-headed. Adding the stress of newfound responsibility had Jazz worried about his reaction. It wasn’t until they entered the hallway did his leader address him.

“What happened out there, Jazz?” the Prime’s face was stoic but stern. Optics narrowed and blazing azure. Kup could sense the charge coming off the younger mechs frame. It was the same feeling moments before battle, as an ex wrecker, he knew all too well. Despite Rodimus getting worked up Kup was impressed he was controlling himself as well as he was.

“Ah don’t know what else ah can say about it, Prime. Pretty much went down like ah told Baster…” the black and white stalled. Rodimus could sense his unease and tried to lighten things up.

“Humor me, Jazz,” he sighed. “Don’t make me make it an order,” the giant red mech winked.

“Alright.” Jazz took a deep intake before trying to recall everything. “It’s like ah said, we were scoping out a weird energy disturbance and it wasn’t long before we found ‘em. Starscream was holding her and she was out for the count. Ah told him to put ‘er down, he did, and then the twins jumped him. When ah checked her out she looked ok and came ‘round after a moment. She was pretty out of it until she saw the twins working him over. She damn near got hysterical. Ah thought she was freaking out scared of ol’ Screamer but then she yelled to the boys not to hurt him. She got away on me and got between ‘Streaker and Starscream, begging Sunny to stop. When he did the two had what ah could only describe as a friendly exchange before she passed out. He started a transfusion before we could do anything. Then he said he’d carry her here and turn himself in.” Jazz watched Rodimus try to comprehend what he just heard. “He did seem genuinely concerned about her. He said…he didn’t want to…break her spark…” the mech winced at his own words.

Rodimus’ optics widened as he almost froze mid-step. His sub commander had to have heard wrong. Even if Starscream was behaving strangely he wasn’t known for being concerned about others.

/can you let me know if she’s going to be alright? /

The Prime suddenly felt his Energon go cold as he recalled the seeker's words. ‘This makes no sense!’ they stopped outside the doors to sickbay and he vented heavily, staring at the entrance.

“Thank you Jazz” Rodimus nodded to the other bot. “don’t go far. I’m sure Magnus will want an official report soon.” With that, he dismissed his officer who was more than glad to take his leave. Looking at the doors again, he was at a loss. ‘Optimus, really wish you were here right now.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys have enjoyed the little surprise I kept in store ;) letting our pair of wayward bots return back home only to land in another kind of a mess. things aren't gonna be easy, no sir! but that's what makes it interesting, isn't it? lol. when I started jotting this storyline down months ago I started really going back to flesh out all the other characters that would be involved. despite knowing them all since childhood I really want to pay close attention to how I portray them so they are as authentic as possible. let's just say Jazz's dialogue took a bit, as I ran his lines through my head as dear old Scatman Crothers (RIP). Hope you all enjoy the ride.


	3. Chapter 3

“You alright, lad?” Kup asked, raising a brow ridge at the younger bot. He watched him stare at the med bay doors with a vacant expression.

“I don’t know Kup. This whole thing makes no sense. Nothing has since two weeks ago…” Rodimus lamented. “Truthfully I’m afraid to go in there. I mean, what if he did something to her? Hurt her?! What am I supposed to do about that?!” he balled his servos and gritted his jaw at the thought of what she could’ve suffered. It wasn’t until he felt the elder’s hand on his shoulder that he snapped out of his rage.

“Best not overthink it, kid. At least not until you got all the facts.” The old Wrecker gave him a crooked grin, making him calm down a little more. “Ya need me to go in with ya?” Rodimus meekly chuckled at that. It made him remember the old but not so distant days when Kup would treat him like a young punk. He never thought he’d miss that. The Prime shook his head.

“Thanks, Kup, but I think I got this,” he smiled. “Maybe go see if the construction details could use a hand if you wouldn’t mind?” Rodimus asked, as he still couldn’t help but make requests of his men. The whole ordering people around thing was still too new.

“No problem. I’m sure they’ll need someone to crack the whip and get ‘em off their afts!” the old mech winked as he headed further down the hallway.

Bracing himself with a deep intake he activated the switch and stepped into med bay. It was empty save for First Aid, Perceptor and Wheeljack. Currently, the medic and Perceptor were busying themselves with fussing over Knightflyer. As he stepped closer he saw she still unconscious, varying lines connecting to her. First Aid was the first to notice the Prime’s presence, practically snapping to attention.

“At ease, please” Rodimus put up a servo to assure the medic. “What’s her status?” he inquired, letting his gaze drift to her form. Despite her hair being a little mussed up and various scuffs of dirt on her frame, she looked as perfect as she used to.

“Well, sir, other than some extreme Energon depletion she appears to be intact. I have her on a course of medical grade Energon to help replenish her systems. It’s pretty potent so I’m expecting results soon.” The medic gestured to one of the lines feeding into her transfusion port. Perceptor had noticed the Prime studying the other cables, one connecting to her neck while the other was in her abdominal plating. The scientist joined the medic and nodded in agreement.

“Although she does appear to be unharmed I am preparing to do a full scan of her systems” the red and blue mech piped up. “After all we have no idea what conditions or treatment she has been subjected to.” Rodimus nodded, approving the initiative.

“Good work, you two” the Prime patted the medic’s shoulder. “She’s in good hands, for sure” he watched as the mechs straightened up with pride at his words. Again he turned his attention to his friend lying on the berth. He could feel the relief and joy welling in his spark. He had thought he’d never see her again and had been filled with regret ever since. ‘I have so much to tell you, too bad a lot of it is bad news…’ he mused.

Wheeljack had been watching from the other side of the room as the other two had filled in their leader. He saw the Prime looking to the berth and had noticed how his servo twitched nervously. Like Kup and Jazz, he was aware of the pair’s history. The scientist decided he’d approach Rodimus.

“Ya know, with that strong stuff they have her on she’s likely to come around anytime.” Rodimus looked at the inventor, considering what he was saying. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to hang around for a while.” As Wheeljack gave him a confident pat to the back the red mech nodded.

“Maybe I will. Thank you.” The other two mechs nodded and retreated to a diagnostic panel opposite the berth and began their battery of scans. “Just let me know if I’m getting in the way,” he addressed Wheeljack as he returned to whatever he was tinkering with.

Now he was alone with his thoughts and his sleeping friend. He tried to do as Kup said and not assume the worst. She was, after all, seemingly unharmed. Without thinking he took her hand and squeezed it, relieved she was really there. He listened to the sounds of the monitoring equipment tracking her spark pulse. Even with his untrained audios, it sounded strong and steady. He was just happy to have her back, period. Suddenly the image of her in the seeker’s arms flooded his processor and he had to concentrate so as not to crush her hand.

A few moments later he felt her digits twitch and he snapped his optics to focus on hers. Slowly he saw her optic lids flutter faintly before they slowly opened and her optics came on line dimly. He held his intake as she blinked, trying to focus. Gradually her optics brightened as she seemed to scan her surroundings. Eventually, she focused on him as her optics widened.

“H…hot rod…?”


	4. Chapter 4

It felt like forever for the feme to realize she wasn’t dead, just waking up. Although for how exhausted she felt she was afraid to assume. Her helm felt like it was spinning as she tried to focus through the bright, unnatural light. Sounds seemed to blend together until she could make out the sounds of electronics and detected the scent of very strong Energon. Sensing pressure to her left hand she tried to turn to face that direction. As her vision cleared, she could make out a very familiar face wearing an expression of relief.

“Hot Rod…? Is that…you?” she whispered to her old friend. The mech nodded, gripping her hand tighter. Joy had stolen his voice as she smiled back at him.

“Told you,” came Wheeljack with an ‘I told you so’ tone as he crossed the room to join his friends. The Prime let go of her hand as she reached for Wheeljack. If the mech could smile she was sure he would be brimming. From her right two others joined the reunion. She recognized Perceptor but not the other who started to scan her with a forearm scanner. She reached to Perceptor who reciprocated. She felt her optics well with lubricant as she happily sobbed.

“Oh, my God, I missed you guys so much!” she choked out. The small group stayed silent a moment until the small red mech broke the silence.

“Hello, Knightflyer. I’m First Aid, your medic.” The bot introduced himself like he had sensed her apprehension. “How do you feel?” he asked as he scanned her.

“Like I got hit with a few tons of scrap,” she meekly laughed as she shifted on the berth.  
“Ah, yes, that’s normal,” he reassured. “With your extreme energy depletion exhaustion is to be expected. The high-grade medical Energon should help you feel better after a while.” His voice was pleasant and almost soft, far different from Ratchet’s bedside manner. She was surprised not to see him in the med bay. Before she could ask about him her attention was drawn to her friend’s robust frame.

“Is it just me or did you get bigger?” she giggled. “Get some upgrades while I was gone?” Hot Rod’s expression turned solemn as did the others in the room. Swallowing hard the red mech spoke to her in a voice she had never heard.

“There have been a lot of changes since you…disappeared.” He paused for a moment before he continued with a rasp to his now resonate voice. “It’s actually Rodimus now. Rodimus…Prime.” As he choked out the words, he watched her expression melt from amusement to confusion and finally horror.

“Where’s Optimus?” she asked carefully. She watched the light dim from his optics as he looked away from her. “What happened to Optimus?!” she cried, her frame shaking as she tried to sit up. The new Prime put his hand on her shoulder, getting her to still and stop trying to get off the berth. She waited for him to answer when she saw the pained mask he wore.

“Two weeks ago Megatron attacked us,” he began. “They commandeered one of the shuttles, killing everyone on board. They used it to surprise us at a time we were low on Energon reserves. There were a lot of casualties…Optimus was one of them.” His azure optics dimmed again as he recanted the events that had happened. Knightflyer watched him collect himself to continue. “The next few days were a whirlwind of fighting and survival. A giant monster called Unicron threatened Cybertron and reformatted an injured Megatron and other Decepticons to serve him in destroying the Matrix. Eventually, the Matrix itself chose me and I was able to stop them. We now have Cybertron under our control and the Decepticons are scattered. We’re in the process of rebuilding Cybertron and Autobot city. A lot of bots that fled eons ago are starting to return home.” The feme felt his voice sounded tired like he had recited the events more times than he wanted to relive it.

She nodded as they both remained silent. ‘How can he be dead if he spoke to me?’ she wondered. It was then she realized the visions weren’t dreams but Optimus’ spirit speaking directly to her. She started to shake as she recalled her last encounter with him, as he drifted away from her. She felt cold grief cloy at her core. ‘If I was here maybe…maybe he’d…’ she reasoned as she drowned in guilt. She felt Rodimus take her hand firmly, attempting to comfort her. However, there was only one thing…or person that could comfort her now.

“Where’s Starscream?” she asked meekly, looking Rodimus in the optics. His expression went from solemn to stern in a microsecond. She braced herself for the inevitable confrontation they were about to have.

“He’s in the brig,” he responded coldly. “Jazz and the twins escorted you both back here to get you to medical. He surrendered and asked for asylum, which I agreed to.” Rodimus shifted uneasily, disturbed at her show of concern for the seeker. The femme looked at him blankly before she made another attempt to get up. This time she got upright and moved to try to swing her legs off the berth. Stunned, Rodimus tried to restrain her. “What…are you doing?!” he boomed.

“I…I…” she stammered, afraid to say what she had to. After a deep intake, she looked at the Prime. “I’m…going to see him. I… have to see him!” she tried to hide the quiver in her voice. She saw her friend's shocked face begin to twist in anger. Before he could launch into a tirade First Aid stepped into the conversation.

“I’m sorry but I can’t clear you to leave sickbay at the moment.” The feme almost growled at the medic. “Your levels are still too unstable. You need rest to allow the Energon to improve your condition.” Despite how angry she was being kept from her seeker she knew he was right. Her arms holding her up were already shaking from the strain.

“Alright,” she huffed. “As soon as I’m strong enough I’m going!” she stated resolutely. Squirming back onto the berth she found a comfortable position in which to sit up. She wasn’t going to take the incoming argument lying down. Crossing her arms she looked the red mech in the optics. “Well, I’m sure you have a few questions.” The others in the room could feel the tension in the air and silently excused themselves.

Rodimus was trying his best not to glare at her as he tried to find the right words. “I guess the first is what the hell happened?” trying to soften his expression, he waited for her to collect herself.

“Best I can figure I panicked and made a portal or something,” she sighed. “Not on purpose, cuz I didn’t even know I could do that! Next thing I knew I woke up in the middle of my wrecked shuttle.” She sighed and shrugged as she continued. “I was on some weird alien planet, never found any intelligent life, just different critters, and plants.” She waited for Rodimus to ask another question. She figured she’d let him steer the conversation that way she might not set him off with oversharing.

“Ok, what about Starscream?” he asked with an uneasy tone.

“I followed the smoke from his wreckage but didn’t find him there. When I did he was in a bad way. Mangled, blind and delirious…” she winced recalling his horrific condition. “I was able to keep him from falling off a mother of a cliff,” she noticed the mechs expression harden with disproval. “I know! Why save him, right? I couldn’t help but think what Optimus would’ve done so…” she shrugged as she trailed off sensing her idea wasn’t working.

“That doesn’t explain his current condition.” Prime crossed his arms challenging her to go into more detail. Too tired to dance around the issue anymore Knightflyer sighed heavily.

“Look, to make a long story short, this Matrix thing has a very assertive mind of its own. It pretty much decided he was worth saving and brought him back from the brink of death.” At that Rodimus partially gasped as he uncrossed his arms. Before he could interrupt her she went on. “After a while, we made a truce. We agreed to work together to survive and try to get off that rock. There was plenty of game for me so I was able to supplement his energy needs. The emergency beacon confirmed we were somewhere away from known space so there was no telling where we were. We tried to familiarize ourselves with the place, explored, etc. After a while we got… comfortable there. Until we figured out the sun was going to go nova! After that, I decided to try to get us back the way we came, which obviously worked.” Knightflyer sat back, confident she had diffused the situation. After a moment Rodimus’ response proved otherwise.

“When you say ‘comfortable’,” the mech inquired, “what exactly does that mean?” A shadow had formed around his eyes as he waited for her answer. She couldn’t help but glower at him despite expecting his reaction.  
“Really? You really want to go there?” she had been dreading this conversation since she made the plan to try to return. “After what you did to me, you have the gall to judge me?!” between her rising anger and weakness she started to shake.

“What do you mean, what I did?” Rodimus bleated. He was genuinely clueless about what she was talking about. “And what do you expect considering the circumstances? We’re in a war! You disappeared and we all thought the worst. Then you show up and I find out you’ve been cozying up with the enemy.” Rodimus had to fight to keep himself from shouting. “I just…need to understand.” The feme stared at him for a moment, realizing her next words might destroy him.

“Maybe I needed someone who wasn’t afraid to show they cared about me…” she whispered under her breath as she stared at the floor. Despite knowing she was about to hurt him he deserved to hear the truth. “I… loved you, you know? We were friends since I showed up here. After I got this body… I thought and hoped, we’d get closer.” Summoning all her courage she looked up to see him staring back at her in mortification. “Then suddenly you cut yourself off from me, avoiding me, with no explanation. I thought it was me, that I had done something wrong, that it wasn’t natural for our kind and I’d creeped someone else out again. Do you know how much that hurt me?” Knightflyer struggled to fight back the tears threatening to flow.

Rodimus stood, frozen, as reality hit him like a nuclear blast. He had pulled away from her as she had said. Only he didn’t know it had affected her so badly. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her and that had been the reason he had distanced himself. To find out how badly he had actually done so was more than he could bear.

“I… never meant…” he stammered, screwing his optics shut. “I didn’t back off to hurt you. I…I…did it because I didn’t think I deserved you.” Steeling himself he looked at her with mournful optics. “I mean, it sounds so stupid now, but back then I was just a soldier. And a pretty reckless one, at that. I did want to be with you, more than you know. Then Optimus found you had this fabled relic, that you were destined by Primus and all that. How could I compete with that? I told myself…if I made something of myself, something more than just a grunt then maybe I had hope of being with you…” the giant mech slouched where he stood, horrified at the grand mistake he had made. “I’m so…so sorry!” he choked out.

A thin film of lubricant trickled down one of her cheeks. Part of her knew that would be his reason. ‘So stupid!’ She wanted so much to hate him right now but with how much pain was written on his face and laced in his voice she couldn’t. It took everything she had not to breakdown.

“Well your timing sucks for honesty, you know that?” she half spat out. Between her weakness and the emotional roller coaster she was riding she felt ill. She wished Rodimus would drop the issue, at least for now. It looked like he was about to say something else when First Aid interrupted.

“Sir, I’m afraid all this negativity isn’t doing my patient any good right now. I understand your concern but she needs rest. I really don’t want to have to call Ultra Magnus to come to get you.” Rodimus stared at the medic in surprise as did Knightflyer. He may not have had Ratchet’s bedside manner but he did seem unafraid to pull rank when it came to his patients. After a moment Rodimus pursed his lips and nodded to the medic.

“Of course, First Aid, you’re right.” The Prime took a step closer to the feme, still trying not to meltdown. “I’m sorry that I’ve upset you…among other things. I’ll leave you in their capable hands.” He turned to go for the door before he looked back. “Welcome home…Alexis.” First Aid walked with him to the exit, assuring him that all would be well. Rodimus nodded as he opened the door. “First Aid,” he addressed the medic, “I want the results of those scans as soon as they’re finished” he ordered without hesitation as he left the infirmary.

As the door closed behind him the feme fell back onto the berth with an exasperated sigh. Again she had heard her old name from someone she held dear to her and it made her want to fall apart. “Thanks for the save, doc,” she thanked the medic for his quick intervention. He came to her side and put a reassuring servo on her shoulder and bowed humbly. He looked in Perceptor’s direction, remembering the Prime’s order.

“Perceptor, how are the scans coming along?” the other mech’s head shot up like he was startled from some trance. He had been absorbed in a slew of data, trying not to get involved in the drama that had unfolded.

“Finished,” he responded. “I am reviewing the data presently.”

“Excellent! Don’t need these extra cables in the way now do we?” First Aid began to disconnect the diagnostic lines as Wheeljack came back to the medic’s side.

“Ya know, we could move you to the recovery room now,” Wheeljack nodded to Knightflyer. “Having a bit more privacy might help ya rest better.” First Aid nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good” she responded lazily as she got up and swung her legs over the edge of the platform. Wheeljack retrieved the Energon canister and sidled up beside her, offering his arm. She took slow steps with him as she felt the room spin. Slowly they reached the recovery room doors at the other end of the infirmary. He helped her onto the bed and secured the canister on a stand. The mech put a soft servo on her shoulder as she got comfortable.

“If you need anything just call us. Anything at all…” the mech’s normally gravelly voice was soft and comforting.

“Thanks, been a hell of a day…” she meekly chuckled. Wheeljack stopped at the doors and turned to her.

“Welcome home, Knightflyer.” He waved as he left the room, the doors closing behind him. He lingered by the door until he heard deeply pained sobs from inside. Closing his optics he lowered his helm. ‘Too bad it isn’t the homecoming you deserve.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yey! finally a semi-long one lol. in the middle of another mass chapter posting. must be writer's guilt, haha! anyway, just wanted to mention Rodimus saying he wanted to make something of himself has nothing to do with the vast majority of opinion that he got Optimus killed. I know some may see this as a hint that he disobeyed on purpose which is not the intent.


	5. Chapter 5

In another part of the compound, a seeker was doing his best to hide his nervous apprehension. Normally confinement itself would’ve driven him mad but he was more worried about his lover at the moment. After his disarmament, he had been interrogated by Ultra Magnus and had been brought up to speed regarding the attack, Unicron and Megatron’s reformatting. Now he was alone in his cell, save for Red Alert as his present jailer.

During his questioning, he was careful not to mention anything “personal”. The situation was delicate enough without them jumping to conclusions about their relationship. He also didn’t know how much detail Knightflyer might give herself. Although he could com her he didn’t think it would be a smart move at the moment. At the same time, he was sorely tempted. He still had no word about her condition and his anxiety was building by the minute.

With nothing else to do but wait he reclined on the recharge ledge, hoping he could fall into recharge. It had proven fruitless in the end. When he closed his optics the image of her being whisked away out of sight would torment him. He lay there, staring at the ceiling for 20 minutes before he sat up and began pacing around his cell. Red Alert scowled from his position by the door, practically shooting him with daggers with his optics. Starscream let out an exasperated sigh as he faced the Autobot.

“You know, we seekers don’t do well in confinement,” he huffed. “You’re lucky I’m not bouncing off the walls in here!” the mech made a grandiose arm movement around himself. The other bot rolled his optics at the display.

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you surrendered,” he bit back. “I’m sure if it’s too much to bear an assisted suicide could be arranged.” He shot the seeker a mocking sneer. Starscream sniffed with a cocky grin before sitting back down.

“Oh and I’m sure you’d be more than happy to oblige, wouldn’t you?” there was no question there was still an amount of bad blood between them. He could tell the other mech still resented him for the Negavator incident. The Autobot feigned a hurt expression.

“I couldn’t watch you suffer, now could I?” he mocked. Starscream grinned at him and nodded, almost enjoying the banter. At least it was distracting him from his vexations. It wasn’t far from the treatment he was expecting considering his illustrious career as a Decepticon. He was about to engage his guard again until the doors to the lockdown area opened and the small medic from before stepped in. All amusement left the flyer as he shot to his pedes and stepped towards the bars. The medic turned to address Red Alert.

“I’m here to examine our guest,” he stated plainly. Red alert grimaced in disgust at the thought of the Decepticon deserving any medical care. “From what I understand he was on an alien world. There’s no telling if he’s carrying any contaminates and the like.” The idea was apparently something the guard hadn’t thought of as his expression quickly turned to alarm. He nodded curtly to the medic and took a couple of steps further away from the cell. The medic approached the cell door and put up a servo in greeting.

“Hello, Starscream. I’m First Aid, lead medic for the base. I’m here to examine you. I understand you were injured. Ah! Yes, I see now. Would you please step back so I can enter?” the seeker regarded him with a worried look before complying. As the door shut behind First Aid Starscream approached him, hands up.

“Is she…is Knightflyer alright? I asked Rodimus to let me know…but…” he stammered as he struggled to hide the anxiety in his voice. The medic’s presence itself was worrisome to him. It was usually the medical officer’s duty to deliver bad news when it came to an injured comrade. As First Aid reached for his shoulder he felt his Energon freeze. ‘Oh Primus…no..!’ the medics optics widened as he realized the seeker was about to panic.

“My apologies! She is fine, just very weak and tired.” The flyer let out a sharp vent and relaxed his frame. “She’s suffering from extreme Energon depletion but she is responding well to the medical-grade I have her on. I can guarantee a full recovery. You don’t need to worry.” At the medics comforting words, Starscream smiled in relief.

“Thank you…doctor!” he panted as he dropped his frame heavily onto his slab. His optics felt warm as lubricant built behind them. Screwing them shut he fought to keep the tears of utter relief from falling. Remembering the Prime and the femes earlier conversation the medic couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the Decepticon. To him, it was clear there was a sort of bond between the two, despite it being taboo during these troubled times.

“I… understand the two of you …are close?” First Aid inquired gently. Starscream’s optics snapped open and fixated on the other mech in panic. “It’s alright; I’m not here to judge. To be honest she seemed to be just as concerned about you.” The seeker’s optics softened slightly before he turned his helm to face the floor. Partially to hide his embarrassment, but also his revelry to hear she was worried about him. Part of him had been worried that once back to her faction she might try to hide her feelings or straight out deny them. “You haven’t said anything about it, have you?” Starscream shook his head before looking up to the medic.

“I didn’t say anything to Magnus when he questioned me. Didn’t see the point of complicating things.” The fact that First Aid knew about them brought up some concerns to the mech. “How did you find out…?”

“After she woke, she and Rodimus had a conversation, of sorts.” The medic decided he’d leave out the details of the spat that had occurred in the med bay earlier. “Even if she hadn’t disclosed any information our scans showed some …telling evidence,” the medic offered delicately. The seeker nodded, understanding fully what he meant.

“Well, so much for avoiding the firing squad,” he sighed. “I can imagine Rodimus’ reaction to those findings.” He recalled what Knightflyer had said about the way their bond had dissolved.

“Actually, he hasn’t seen any yet. I decided to come and check on you before I reported to him. I was also curious to meet you.” Starscream gave him a puzzled look. “Well, should we begin?” the medic piped up as he brought out his medical scanner. Nodding, the seeker sat up and let the smaller bot do his job. Inwardly, he found himself approving of this mech. He had never been treated so fairly by an enemy before. “Other than the cracked lip, and cockpit, any other problems?” inquired the medic.

“Not really, other than I can’t transform into my alt mode.” He shifted slightly where he sat, as if embarrassed. The mech directed his scanner to where his transformation cog was located. After a few seconds, he squinted at the readings.

“Strange,” he observed. “Your cog doesn’t seem to be damaged. It’s as if it was removed and reinstalled incorrectly.” He drummed his chin with his digits as he hummed to himself. “I take it this has been the norm since…she repaired you?”

“Yes,” the seeker nodded. “Considering how much of a miracle it was, I’m glad to be functioning at all.” He had to suppress a shudder as he recalled the horrible condition he had been in. “Not like transforming would do me any good at the moment…” he sighed. First Aid had skimmed some material earlier on seeker physiology and remembered an entry about their propensity for claustrophobia. He gave the slender mech a gentle pat to the thigh.

“Well, you can rest easy,” he stated. “I can reverse the condition. It’s nothing a simple surgical procedure can’t fix.” Starscream’s wings perked up at the possibility of regaining that function. He had feared that his cog had been destroyed, which meant he’d never transform again. They were unique to every Cybertronian and there was no way to replace or transplant one. “For now, I can mend your lip but I’ll need you in the med bay for your cog and cockpit crack.”

Nodding, the seeker sat straight as First Aid began his work. Despite it being an Autobot base he was still surprised the medic would go out of his way on his behalf. He was almost going to tell the medic not to bother with repairing his injury. He knew Rodimus would be furious after he learned of how “intimate” the two were. ‘He’ll probably come to scrap me personally for this,’ he lamented. After First Aid finished, he stretched his jaw, grateful the sting was gone.

“First Aid, I’m curious,” Starscream addressed him. “How is it that you’re so accepting having learned one of your own has been found…fraternizing with the enemy? I know how the Decepticons would react.” On that point alone he knew he’d be terminated if he was brought back to them. From what he had heard Galvatron was even more insane than Megatron.

“I see,” the medic hummed as he put away his equipment. “This war has gone on for so long and destroyed so many lives. I, myself, had fled to avoid the conflict before it reached its zenith back then.” The smaller mech shook his helm, remembering the day he bid his home goodbye. “I personally view the…bond between you two as a good sign. If two from opposing factions can put aside the politics and co-exist…I see that as a good thing.” He saw the Decepticon’s optics widen at his words. The flyer obviously wasn’t expecting his answer. “Also there were no signs of abuse from forced interfacing, so that helped.” The medic winked with his visor, cheekily. The insertion of humor made the seeker grin.

“Interfacing?!” Red Alerts shrill exclamation destroyed the calm of the brig. Medic and seeker both sighed, realizing they had forgotten about the third wheel close by. The shocked mech’s helm horns began to spark in disgust and dismay.

“You know it’s impolite to eavesdrop,” the medic scolded the guard. “That being said, I should be on my way to Rodimus.” Starscream stiffened as his wings drooped. “I’m sure everything will be fine,” he patted the white mech's shoulder. “Even if he’s upset I’ll point out the evidence doesn’t warrant execution.” He winked again as he exited the cell. On his way out First Aid passed Red Alert, mouth agape, horns still firing. “You really should come see me about that sometime,” he said as he headed down the hallway.

The guard turned to see Starscream, helm turned to the floor, resting in his servos. The flyer was oblivious to the horrified stare shot in his direction. He could care less about the Autobot’s opinion of him. He was more worried about Rodimus at the moment.


	6. Chapter 6

It turned out Starscream was more than justified to be concerned as the blazon Prime marched furiously down the hallway to the brig. He had wanted to question the seeker earlier but had decided after his confrontation with Knightflyer he should cool down first. That had worked for about an hour before First Aid came to report.

“I’m going to kill him…” Rodimus breathed, as the light dimmed from his optics. Luckily Kup was there to try to steady him. The old Wrecker put a firm servo on his shoulder but Rodimus didn’t respond. First Aid was expecting his reaction and was prepared to offer a defense.

“Please sir,” he pleaded. “I can assure you there is no evidence of molestation or forced interfacing. Valve tissues are very telling.” The medic was trying his best not to give the Prime a reason to order the seeker terminated. The large mech stared at him, frame beginning to quake with rage.

“He reprogrammed her then! Brainwashing! That has to be it!” he bellowed, desperately trying to find a reason other than the one he feared. The medic just shook his helm.

“As I said before there was no evidence that her processor was tampered with.” He had hoped between himself and Kup they would be able to calm Rodimus before he did something rash. As the Prime crushed a datapad in his hand First Aid knew he failed. Rodimus stood, clutching the edges of his desk. Growling he made for the door as Kup went to grab his arm. Instead, Rodimus caught his wrist mid-air and gave him a warning stare.

“You stay here… both of you!” all the two mechs could do was nod as he stormed out into the hallway.

So clouded was his processor with rage, that he didn’t notice anyone else in the halls frantically get out of his way. ‘He’s wrong! He’s wrong!’ was the only coherent thought he could form. The mere idea that she would willingly… it was more than he could bear! At the moment he didn’t know what he wanted to do more: hit something or purge his tanks. As he approached the door to the brig his vision seemed to go red. On the other side of it was the mech that had somehow stolen the most precious thing in his life and he wanted him to pay! As he reached for the lock a familiar voice shocked him back to reality.

“Rodimus!”

It was Optimus’ voice! Stunned, the mech frantically scanned the hallway, finding it vacant. ‘I must be losing it’ he reasoned with himself. Again he reached for the door but this time he felt a strong, strong pulse from the Matrix. With a heavy sigh, he realized what was going on. “You know what I want to do to him, don’t you?” he muttered to the open air. “Not very prime like, eh?” with another heavy sigh he dropped his arm and stared at the door. ‘Guess I asked for this didn’t I?’ he reflected, remembering wishing he had Optimus’ guidance before.

Defeated, he turned back to return to his office. It was his own impulsive actions like this that made him question his worthiness. He couldn’t recall a single time that Optimus had lost his cool, no matter the circumstance. In self-pity, he made his way back to his office to find Kup and First Aid practically pacing the room.

“He’s unharmed…” Rodimus dispassionately declared as the two instantly sighed in relief. He sat down heavily into his chair before he vented and addressed his advisors. “First Aid, thank you for your thorough work. I’m sorry for doubting your expertise. Please return to care for Knightflyer, would you?” bowing respectfully the medic made a hasty retreat. Kup came to the side of the young mech and laid a gentle servo on his shoulder.

“You alright, lad?” Kup gently asked. 

“No Kup,” he looked at his old friend with sad optics. “If you don’t mind I think I need time alone.” Nodding with a smile Kup gave him a pat before leaving the Prime to his thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

After her initial breakdown, Knightflyer had fallen into deep recharge. First Aid and Perceptor had taken turns checking on her and replacing the Energon canister. Perceptor was in the process of replacing it again when she woke in the morning.

“Good morning!” the scientist greeted her cheerfully, “how are you feeling?” the feme stretched as she yawned, taking stock of herself.

“Better,” she sighed. “Still tired. How long was I out?” she asked remembering there were no windows in the room. Also, she still forgot about her internal chronometer. Perceptor finished his diagnostic scan before answering.

“In human measurements: twelve hours, fifty-eight minutes and twenty-six seconds.” His detailed report didn’t shock her but the amount of time did. While she slept she had no dreams or visions so it hadn’t felt like that much time had passed. “You’ll be happy to hear the treatment has improved your systems by 45%. I do not doubt you will be cleared within the next day or so.” Knightflyer nodded, smiling.

“Thank you, Perceptor.” She took a moment to push herself upright and found the control panel to incline the platform so she could sit up. She noticed as she held herself up her arms didn’t shake anymore and sighed in relief. ‘I’ll be strong enough soon.’ Concern filled her spark as she thought about seeing her lover again. “I was wondering…has anyone gone to see Starscream?” the mech inclined his helm slightly. “If I remember right Sunny gave him quite a tooling. I’m just worried…” she trailed off, almost guilty for asking. To her relief, Perceptor nodded his helm.

“Ah, yes! First Aid paid him a visit before reporting to Rodimus. He repaired his facial mesh but his cog and cockpit will have to be righted here.” One thing the mech was good at was offering details even those not asked for. The news about his transformation cog made her sigh in relief. She had been worried she had damaged it or something. However, her relief was replaced with apprehension at the mention of Rodimus. She could vaguely recall his order to the medic the day before.

“So…. What did First Aid have to report?” Knightflyer asked. The normally calm and collected mech squirmed as if stalling to answer. From his behavior, she was sure she could guess it was something untoward.

“Well… there was really nothing significant…” history had been made! Perceptor was lost for words. “The only reading that stood out …was the trace amounts of mech trans fluid.” The mech’s faceplates heated up as he tried to put it as delicately as possible. Knightflyer just sighed and nodded.

“I’m sure that went over well…” she could imagine how furious that news would’ve made Rodimus. She was half expecting Perceptor to tell her that Starscream was scheduled for termination afterward.

“I hope he didn’t assume rape!?” she spat out. “Oh and thanks for explaining to me that interfacing was a thing!” she scolded the mech who tried to shrink into himself. The sight of him made her feel bad for her outburst. “I’m sorry, Percy. It’s just that I thought those urges were leftovers from my squishy stage.” She vented a heavy sigh. “If someone had told me I wouldn’t’ve felt like a freak…” The mechs optics widened before he turned them to the ground.

“I apologize, Knightflyer. I’m afraid that perhaps we all assumed you were aware of all aspects of our biology.” He approached her timidly and placed a cautious servo on her shoulder. “Please forgive us. We meant not to withhold any information from you.” The femme smiled and took his hand, nodding with a smile.

Suddenly there was a knock at the room’s open door and Kup peeked in, waving. Knightflyer lit up at the sight of the grizzled mech. She still didn’t know who all the casualties had been and feared he was one of them. Perceptor stepped back and excused himself as she opened her arms to greet Kup with a smile and tears of joy. Kup approached and let her wrap her arms around him. He felt her shake and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

“Steady there, lass. Don’t need you getting upset over nothing.” She laughed as she released him wiping the moisture from her sockets. “Thought I kicked the bucket, too, did ya?” he jeered as he patted her on the head.

“You kidding?” she choked. “You're too damn stubborn!” the old mech laughed, glad she still had spirit. “Seriously though…. I’m glad you’re still here. Sounds like I missed quite the rumble.” The green mech gave her a solemn nod. “I’m sure you’re busy with repairs and stuff. You didn’t have to go out of your way to come to see me….” Kup gave her his trademark crooked grin.

“Don’t worry about it, lass. How couldn’t I visit ya being cooped up in here?” Knightflyer smiled, thankful for his presence. “Oh yeah! I found some loiterers lurking outside when I got here. Oi!” Kup called to the open door. After a moment Sideswipe and Sunstreaker cautiously inched into the room. “Considering the beating they gave Starscream I figure they were procrastinating coming in here to see ya…” the old warrior gave them a stern look before Sideswipe took a step forward, clearing his vocal processor.

“Hey Knightflyer…” he timidly addressed her, fidgeting. “We just wanted to say we were sorry for, you know the field…” the normally brave front liner shuffled his pedes and looked toward the floor. “We didn’t know you guys were cool. I mean you were out of it and he was there…”

“Yeah, how were we supposed to know you guys were clangin’!?” Sunstreaker blurted out, earning him a sharp backhand to the helm from Kup. “Ow! What the hell, old man?!” Sunny growled, nursing his helm. It seemed like Kup was about to lecture him when they were interrupted by laughter.

“That was priceless!” Knightflyer gasped between guffaws. “Glad to see nothing’s changed.” She looked at the trio, all looking at her like she’d fried her processor. After her fit subsided she focused on the twins. “It’s ok guys, I get it. You’re right. How could you have known that Starscream and I had become friends?” Sunstreaker was about to add something else when Kup raised his servo, threatening another wallop. The feme chuckled; knowing Sunny probably had a snide comment about the ‘friend’ thing.

“Anyways,” Kup grunted, “these two have duties to get to.” The pair sighed as he began shooing them out of the room; Sideswipe waving as he passed the door. “Kids”, Kup grumbled to himself. Instead of excusing himself, Kup pulled a chair over to the berth and took a seat, arms loosely crossed against his chassis. “So…. Starscream, huh?” he said raising a brow ridge. Knightflyer sighed as she slumped against the inclined platform.

“If you came here to lecture me, you may as well follow those two,” she warned. “After Rodimus, I’m not in the mood.” She then realized that the cat was out of the bag and to expect questions from the others from now on. Releasing his arms Kup put up a servo.

“No lecture, lass. Just curious.” The green mech’s stern faceplate softened. “You can’t blame any of us for being cautious. I just need to hear it from you. I need to hear keeping Rodimus from slagging the guy is the right thing.” There was no malice or anger in his voice, just sincerity. The feme nodded in understanding.

“I know, Kup. I knew if we made it back it would be a shit show.” The femme smiled meekly at the old mech. “I’m not asking everyone to forget what he’s done. I just hope you guys can see past… well, the past!” Knightflyer fidgeted, unsure if anything she could say would be convincing. “When we first got to that place I never thought he and I would end up co-operating, let alone getting…close. I still can’t believe it. To be honest, a small part of me was surprised he didn’t leave me in that field.” She almost whispered her confession. Just uttering her secret doubt made her tanks knot up painfully, the guilt made her feel like she had betrayed him somehow. Taking a sharp intake she faced her friend. “Either way, you can assure Rodimus he deserves a chance to prove himself. Also, once I’m cleared to leave sickbay, I’m going to him and not even Ultra Magnus can stop me!” Grinning, Kup got up and took a firm hold of her servo.

“Glad to see you still have that fire in your spark, lass.” She smiled back, glad to have him in her corner. “If ya care that much about the guy, I won’t get your way. Just hope he knows if he hurts ya he’ll have to answer to me.” His statement made her chuckle. “Well, it's time I get going, too. Good to have ya back.” Before he could let go of her hand she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The gruff mech felt his spark melt at her gesture, gently patting her back. With a quick peck to his cheek plates, she let him go as he waved goodbye.

Knightflyer sighed as she leaned back and closed her optics. She knew it would be a long road getting the others to accept the seeker, let alone trust him. However, knowing Kup had her back was the reassurance she needed. Slightly more at ease, she settled in for a much-needed nap.


	8. Chapter 8

Starscream had recharged fitfully throughout the night. The smallest noise would rouse him and each time he expected to find Rodimus there holding the barrel of a blaster to his helm. After First Aid’s visit, he was sure Rodimus would follow to put the fear of Primus in him. The night had passed without so much as a hint of the Prime and that seemed to fuel his anxiety even more.

According to his internal chronometer, it had to be early morning. Tired but restless he got up and slowly paced in his cell. Red Alert was still at his post, silently judging the seeker. Starscream was about to address the other mech until the brig doors opened and Kup strode in.

“Ok, Red, I’m your relief. My turn to babysit.” Red Alert glared in the flyer’s direction before nodding and hastily leaving the room. The green mech locked his optics on Starscream’s for a moment before he approached the cell. The white mech faced him squarely from behind the bars, readying for a sure scolding. The Autobot eyed up the seeker before retrieving a canister from his storage compartment. With a grunt, he offered it to the Decepticon who gave him a bewildered look. With a gruff sigh, he motioned for him to take it. When he again didn’t Kup shook his helm, annoyed. “It ain’t poison, you moron! It's Energon! I’m betting you haven’t had any since you got here.” Stunned, the seeker gingerly took it and gave it a quick sniff before taking a cautious sip. “Told ya” the old mech huffed, crossing his arms. After swallowing the prisoner still looked puzzled.

“I’m aware this isn’t a Decepticon base but still….” Starscream was finding it hard to believe the ex-Wrecker would do something like this, for him even. “Why show me any kindness?”

“Cuz the past is just that.” The green mech released his arms and put his servos on his hip joints. “Even though you probably deserve to starve after the slag you’ve pulled I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing that girl in that much pain.” The seeker's mouth hung open in a silent gasp. “For whatever infernal reason she seems to love your sorry aft... It ain’t my place to tell her who can or can’t care about. All I can do is trust her that she’s doing the right thing.” After a moment Starscream was able to close his mouth and manage a nod in agreement. As his new guard turned to take a seat at the desk, he found his voice.

“Kup…” he choked out. The old mech half turned to face him with a ‘what now?’ look. “Thank you for the Energon. And… thank you for… trusting her.” with a curt nod Kup went to take a seat. Still half in shock, the seeker sat down on his berth and stared at the canister in his servo. Of all the bots Kup was the last one he expected to receive any trust from. Remembering his words regarding her feelings toward himself he couldn’t help but smile. ‘She’s not hiding it’ he took a big gulp of the Energon, making him feel refreshed and reassured.

Glancing to Kup he found the mech leaned back, pedes resting on the desktop, browsing through a datapad. He wasn’t standing at attention by the door like Red Alert had done. The sight of his unworried guard helped him relax slightly. The heaviness on his spark felt as though it was easing as he found himself daring to hope for his… their future.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
Later that evening Kup was relieved by Jazz as he was summoned to Rodimus’ office. When he arrived Ultra Magnus was there, which meant they were in for a serious discussion. Grunting his distaste Kup took a seat beside Magnus. He already had an inkling of what the topic was going to be and wasn’t looking forward to it. From Magnus’ scowling face it was evident that he and the Prime had already had words on said subject.

“Sir,” Magnus started, “I don’t want to see Knightflyer upset any more than the next mech, but this IS Starscream we’re talking about.” The large blue and red Autobot was as unflappable as ever but the worry in his voice was hard to miss. “It would be unfair to pardon all the crimes he has committed over the centuries based on a few months of “good behavior”. Of which, I might add, we only have the word of a single feme to go off of.” Rodimus, who had been sitting silent, raised a brow ridge in his security chief’s direction.

“You wanna be the one to ask her if she’s lying?” Ultra Magnus seemed rendered dumb as Kup snickered at the suggestion. They all knew what the outcome of that would be and they already had enough damage to the base to handle as it was. Rodimus leaned forward; fingers laced together, elbows on his desk. It was a contemplative pose he had seen Optimus use many times. “Regardless of our personal feelings about Starscream, we have to look at the bigger picture here. The fact that the Matrix of Creation itself or Primus or…whatever deemed him worth saving alone is a point.” Ultra Magnus rolled his optics at the mention of a higher power intervening on Starscream’s behalf. “Knightflyer herself said she had no control of its actions, save for their return here. We also must consider the veritable font of information we might gain from his co-operation. Granted, Megatron, as we knew him, is gone but I would think any advantage should be better than none.” There was an uncomfortable silence until Kup spoke up.

“In the end, it doesn’t matter what happens, somebody is gonna be fragged off, either way,” the old mech blurted out. “Ultimately the decision is up to you, lad.”

\ I thought about what Optimus would do…\

The femes words filled his processor while the other two in the room waited patiently for his response. Kup was right. The situation was far from black and white, with no easy answer. He knew from the Wrecker’s statement he didn’t want to take sides, even if he did have an affinity for the feme himself. If the decision made would upset her he wouldn’t want to be part of it. Ultra Magnus, on the other hand, was a practical, law-abiding mech. No doubt he could only see the probable upheaval and dissension in the ranks should the seeker go unpunished. With a heavy sigh, he pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor. He wasn’t prepared to make a call on the spot. Straightening himself he decided to call the meeting for the time being.

“Thank you both for your input. Based on sparse Decepticon activity lately, I don’t see the need to rush this.” Standing he nodded to his men. “I’ll keep your thoughts on this in consideration, but I might have to recharge on it, for tonight at least.” Taking the hint the other two stood from their seats. “Thanks again, you're… dismissed?” he said awkwardly. With a curt nod, Ultra Magnus gracefully left the office while Kup lingered to give Rodimus a sharp punch to the shoulder, rattling the young Prime.

“Don’t let this twist your tanks, lad,” Kup’s optics were bright and reassuring. “I know we said this is your command, but if it helps, maybe think about what Optimus might do. Ya never know, maybe you’ll get a “sign.” ” His tone was half-mocking, but Rodimus appreciated it none the less. With a wave, the old mech left Rodimus to figure things out for himself.

Instead of returning to his desk he left the office too, to retire to his quarters. He thought about going to the mess hall but wasn’t looking forward to the anxious questions and chaos. He passed the room he had helped Wheeljack convert to a kitchen for Knightflyer sometime ago. He remembered how excited he was; in that he hoped it would make her feel better about her quirks. Up until then, she had been sneaking off to the woods in secret, hiding her eating habits from the others. It was just before the Matrix in her was discovered and his self-esteem had deflated. Staring at the door he shook his head, ‘what an idiot I was to push her away…’

Further down the hall, he paused outside of the med bay doors. This time he remembered the day she woke up in her current body. He had raced through the compound when he had heard she was awake. She had staggered from her berth on new legs into his arms and finally, he could wrap his arms around her without fear of injury. The time after helping her get used to her new body and figuring out how to transform had felt like a dream of which he didn’t want to wake from. The proverbial cherry on top was how similar her alt mode was to his, without her actively choosing it. He had planned to ask her about taking their friendship further until the Matrix of Creation was found and his dream ended.

The possibilities of her potential were unimaginable suddenly and he felt he would just get in her way. Selfishly, he now realized, he started distancing himself despite how much it hurt him to do so. At the time it seemed the right thing to do. ‘How slagging wrong I was…’

Fighting the temptation to go into the med bay he continued on his way to his quarters. With the barrage of stress and emotions tormenting him he felt like his helm was about to implode. He was well aware that his responsibility was to the faction as a whole and he couldn’t let his personal feeling get in the way. When he reached his room, instead of fueling, he went straight to his berth. ‘Maybe some rest will help clear my head’ he hoped as he powered down his optics.

“I’ll never forgive you!!” Knightflyer’s furious, pained cries rang through his audios. Glancing around he found he was in the brig, facing a cell, with a familiar frame lying motionless on the floor. Energon was pooling around the seemingly lifeless body. Rodimus was suddenly aware his chassis was being struck over and over. Looking down he found his distraught friend’s lubricant stained face, optics wild with anger and despair. “You could’ve prevented this! If you had just given him a chance…! I….I….I hate you!!” In shock, he struggled to find his voice, to make sense of the situation, until a sharp pain to the back of his helm made his vision go black.

It wasn’t until his optics focused on the ceiling of his quarters did, he realize that the horror show had been a dream. He groaned as he sat up and also found himself on the floor. ‘That explains it…’ he sighed nursing the back of his head. The pain was almost welcome as it seemed to have spared him an excruciating experience. Slowly he pulled himself up to sit on the edge of his berth.

As the impact of the dream hit him he wept for the first time since Knightflyer had disappeared. With no context the details of the vision were uncertain but the general message was clear. He had to make a definite decision on the situation and soon. The mere idea that she might despise him like that… he couldn’t stomach the thought!

It had also brought up a few possible outcomes regarding the seeker remaining in custody. If he stayed locked up indefinitely how long before an Autobot took the law in his own hands and offlined him vigilante-style? Also, based on seeker behavior, how long before Starscream might commit suicide to escape confinement? Both outcomes would have the feme manic and hateful in the end. He knew rest would elude him until something was settled upon. Getting up he took a long draught of high grade before exiting his quarters to head for the brig.


	10. Chapter 10

Rodimus took a deep, steadying intake as he opened the door to the confinement area. As he entered he found Jazz sitting at the desk, legs crossed, scrolling through a datapad. ‘Probably a playlist or something’, Rodimus assumed. His commander stood to attention as he noticed the Prime enter the room. His abrupt motion seemed to draw the attention of Starscream who was reclined on the recharge platform in his cell. His ruby optics froze in Rodimus’ direction. For a microsecond, he looked at the seeker before turning to Jazz.

“Would you mind waiting in the hall, Jazz?” His sub commander almost had a concerned look before nodding and exiting the room. As the doors shut behind him Rodimus turned to Starscream who was slowly shifting to sit up. The waves of anxiety rolling off of the flyer were palpable. After a noticeable gulp, Starscream stood as Rodimus approached the cell. The gesture of respect wasn’t lost on Rodimus. Despite the fear and apprehension, he must have been feeling the seeker was trying to show respect, like a good soldier. He watched as Starscream steadied himself, faceplates wearing a stoic expression, not the usual contempt as would’ve been expected. The Prime himself was trying his best to stay composed as the outcome of his decision would weigh heavily, regardless of which end of the scale would tip. After a moment of them staring at each other, he narrowed it down to three questions.

“Starscream, I appreciate your patience while we have been sorting out this situation. As you can imagine it’s not an easy one to settle.” He took a deep intake as he sorted his processor. Crossing his arms he turned slightly away from Starscream. “I’ve been told more times than I can remember in the last few weeks how many things are my decision and my choice. However, in this decision it’s not that simple. It’s not just my feelings I have to consider but those of who I command and also… those of a dear friend. I’m sure she has told you about a few things.” Stealing a glance to the seeker he caught a twitch in his facial mesh. “So, with that being said, I have only three questions and I only need a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to each.” Squaring off to face the mech he trained his optics on the flier as he readied his spark to ask the queries that would decide the mechs fate. As the seeker nodded, he readied himself.

“First; are you truly ready to abandon the Decepticon cause, abandon Megatron’s…or Galvatron’s ambitions?”

“Yes.”

“Second; you did not exploit, manipulate or abuse Knightflyer in any way to get her to sympathize with you?”

“No!”

“Third; ….do you love her?”

“More than my own spark!”

The conviction in the white mechs voice made the Prime almost gasp. He wasn’t expecting such a direct assertion of fidelity. Part of him wanted to slam his fist against the bars. The part that hated himself for not being able to admit his own feelings and act on them before it was too late. It was also the part that cared about his friend and wanted her to be happy, so the seeker's declaration had almost warmed his spark.

It was the hope that something that might aid in her happiness might in turn aid their goal to peace that guided his hand to open the seeker’s cell. He stood unmoving as the seeker stared at the space between them and stayed transfixed, as though waiting for an attack. The seconds ticked by like a countdown to the end of days as both mechs remained rooted in place. After a few nanoseconds, Rodimus vented heavily and turned his back to the prisoner.

“Well…you coming or not?” he glanced over his shoulder to see an utterly shocked expression on the flyer’s faceplates. Sighing again he turned to face the mech, apparently afraid to leave his cell. “From what I understand you have a few problems that need some professional attention. It would be immature of me to let those things slide and let you stay like that. I mean, I am a Prime now so I better act like it right?” with a wink he gestured to Starscream to exit the jail. Taking a few cautious steps the seeker approached the red mech, still smiling. “I’ll escort you to the med bay, with Jazz, of course.” At the mention of the med bay, he stole another glance at the seeker and found a glimmer of excitement across his faceplates. Stifling a sigh of depression he gestured for the white mech to stand by him as he opened the brig doors. As they did Jazz seemed shocked and readied to attack before Rodimus raised a servo to calm him to stand down.

“We’re escorting our guest to med bay for treatment, understood?” he gave his friend a reassuring smile. At that Jazz softened his frame and took a place beside Starscream on the other side of his leader. With a smile, he nodded and waited for Rodimus to start their procession through the hall. As Rodimus stepped forward Starscream awkwardly tried to keep pace with him. After a few seconds, he seemed to match him, not wanting to overtake the leader's stride. ‘Megatron probably would’ve disciplined him if he did…’ lamented Rodimus after noticing the seekers close examination of his movements.

After settling into the rhythm Starscream set his gaze to the floor as the trio strode down the hallway. As conflicted as he was Rodimus started to feel sorry for the mech. He couldn’t imagine how alone and afraid he must feel, being behind enemy lines as he was. He was suddenly reminded of his duty, His obligation to keep the peace as best he could, and extend hospitality to those deserving. Watching the Decepticon in such unease made his tanks twist.

“Starscream, your future at this moment may be uncertain but rest assured you won’t come to harm unless otherwise provoked.” Taking a moment to look at the seeker he found red optics focused on him, racked with worry and fear. “For now we’ll have your injuries dealt with and go from there. Conditions regarding any freedoms you may have here will be meted out soon.” Abruptly Rodimus was aware Starscream had halted, staring at the floor again. The Prime himself stopped and looked at the seeker. It was a few moments before the white mech lifted his optics to look Rodimus in his own.

“Why…why would you consider…giving me any…freedoms…?” the seeker’s crimson optics were in utter shock and on the verge of cascading with tears. Rodimus was taken aback entirely at the display but tried to hide his shock at the other’s expense. He himself was trying to justify what he had said but he knew he had to show some form of trust toward the mech if there was any hope of actual co-operation. Also, he didn’t want to face Knightflyer’s temper, based on his own experience. After a moment he softened his expression looking to the seeker.

“Someone once told me I should think of what Optimus would do. After numerous times of being told this was my command, someone reminded me of his wisdom. I can only hope to measure up to him by a fraction so I might as well try to use him as an example, right?” Rodimus smiled at Starscream sincerely, hoping it would quell his unease. It apparently worked as the flyers frame seemed to loosen as he nodded to the Prime. “Also I’d rather not be on the receiving end of Knightflyer’s temper.” As the seeker rubbed his neck cables it was obvious he had a clear understanding regarding that. After gesturing they continue Starscream began walking again as Rodimus caught a warm smile from Jazz directed at himself, nodding. “So when we get to sickbay you’ll remain there, as well as Jazz, understandably,” Jazz nodded again as well as Starscream. “You’ll get treated and the conditions of your stay will be decided…understood?” he gazed at the Decepticon. With a resolute nod, Starscream acknowledged him and they continued down the hallway.


	11. Chapter 11

At the same time as Rodimus being shocked out of recharge by falling out of bed, Knightflyer was awake and frustrated. Restless from worry and inaction for the last few days had her in a state of almost feral panic. The last few months she had been free to roam, to fly, to do what she pleased. Now she was asked or ordered, to stay in a room with no windows. She missed the feel of the wind and scents it carried. The worry about her seeker also fueled her unease. Although she knew Autobots didn’t tolerate certain vigilante actions she didn’t fear it any less.

Steeling herself she got off the platform, finding her legs far more stable than before and smiled. She disconnected the fuel line in her arm and stretched. It was well into the evening and the med bay was quiet, at least from what her senses had been able to glean. She opened the door to her room and peered around the corner…only to be met by Wheeljack leaned over whatever project he was working on right beside the door! ‘Ugh! Why didn’t I check first!?’ she cursed herself for not trying to sense anyone before looking. The scientist lifted his head and waved at her, optics bright and lively.

“Hey! Feeling better I see!” he exclaimed energetically. The femme meekly nodded and slouched after being caught. She had hoped she could’ve snuck out unnoticed. After a moment she had a thought…

“Yeah! Much better, thanks.” She shifted slightly feeling guilty for what she was going to try to get an opportunity to get out of the ward. “Hey, there’s a wash bay here, right?” the mech nodded in response. “I was wondering if I could use it... haven’t had a decent shower in months!” looking to the almost expressionless bot she tried to look innocent. After a suspicious moment, he nodded.

“Of course, it’s just over there.” He gestured to the area close to the exit where the wash racks were. “Actually I already went to your quarters and got your stuff for ya,” the mech winked as best he could. Taken aback Knightflyer awkwardly nodded as he escorted her to the doors of the wash racks. As the doors opened he bowed. “I figured once you felt better you’d want a proper scrub down. Especially after being stuck in a primitive place like that.” The gesture of his thoughtfulness made her want to tear up before he put a sure servo on her shoulder, lowering his helm close to her own. “First Aid is out right now but just give me a sign and I’ll distract him if he’s here when you’re done.”

Gasping in surprise she looked to her friend, optics bright and reassuring. Before she was Cybertronian, way before she got to know them, she wondered if she’d ever get to read their expressions like this. Before she got this body she had but now it was way more than meaningful. Nodding with a gentle squeeze to his wrist she turned to enter the wash wracks.

Hurriedly she scanned for her “stuff”. Zeroing in on the shampoo and conditioner she chose her stall and let the hot water spring from the head. To her relief, Wheeljack had also grabbed her cleanser so she grabbed that first. As much as she loved the scent of the place they had been she needed to ‘actually’ get clean. Lathering the soap on herself she sighed in relief. After a few minutes, she grabbed the shampoo and scrubbed it through her hair vigorously. After a thorough rinse, she heaped on the conditioner. Slowly she rinsed it through, not knowing if it actually had any benefit to her hair like an organic would, she didn’t care! It felt great all the same! 

Shutting off the water she saw that the blower she used to dry her hair was in the box so she got to work drying off her hair as best she could. ‘I’ll just try to straighten it a bit, then I’m done!’ she planned. As she used it she could hear muffled voices, one of which was First Aid’s, the other Wheeljack’s, telling him she was in there trying to freshen up. After she turned it off she stood by the doors, listening for voices and what they were saying. Finding few, she took a deep intake. First Aid was close to the wash rack doors, with Wheeljack close to him.

Chancing it, she opened the doors to find First Aid’s back to herself as he faced Wheeljack. Without betraying his gaze, the scientist gestured to the sickbay doors as he feigned demonstrating something to the medic. Taking this as her chance she took careful steps toward the exit hoping she hadn’t lost her stealth abilities being so weakened.

“And where do you think you’re going?” the medic's voice rang through the room like a claxon. It didn’t have the venom as Ratchet’s voice would’ve had but was none the less effective. She froze and looked to see his visor trained on her, arms crossed. In the background, Wheeljack was shrugging apologetically. With a deep sigh, she stood straight and faced the medic, part of her realizing she could overpower him if she wanted. However, the other part conceded and she slouched, admitting defeat.

“I was only going out for a minute. I was going to come back right away!” she tried to plead as his stare bore through her. “I was going to come back, really. I just need to get some fresh air…” First Aid was obviously not buying it or wasn’t impressed with her excuse as he took her servo, guiding her to the exam table.

“I understand you’re getting impatient to be…elsewhere, but we still need to follow medical procedures.” The feme picked up on the hint in his voice and silently followed the mech. “If your Energon levels have stabilized satisfactorily I’ll clear you to leave, although I will be asking you to check in daily for the next week or so just to be safe.” With a sigh, she nodded as she climbed up on the platform.

Fidgeting she waited for the medic to start his scans, hoping he would be happy with the results. It seemed like the medic was moving at a snail’s pace as he did his diagnostics to the feme. Every one of her joints and cables was poised and tensed, readied to launch her out of the med bay as soon as she heard the words “all clear”. She was so focused on the medic’s actions she barely registered the med bay doors open behind her.

“Welcome, sir….oh my!” Perceptor’s reaction drew her attention away from First Aid and she turned to look for what had startled the scientist. At first, she just saw Rodimus’ massive form filling the doorway then she caught sight of Jazz to his left. As the saboteur moved to the side her optics widened and her spark felt like it would tear itself from her chest.

“Starscream!”


	12. Chapter 12

“Starscream!” Knightflyer exclaimed as she vaulted herself over the exam table and sprinted toward the seeker.

“Easy now!” First Aid called after her lively display.

This time Starscream couldn’t control his instincts even if he tried. Taking a few brisk steps forward he realized someone might see his action as threatening but it was too late for regret. He was in the same room as his beloved and he’d be damned if he’d let anyone keep him from her. In a flash, Knightflyer leapt toward him and he caught her, wrapping his arms below her wing joints. She clung to his neck and shoulders as his grip on her tightened and she felt his spark pulse pound against her chest. Lowering her to stand on the ground he cradled the back of her helm as he nuzzled the side of her neck. Slowly she loosened her grip on the seeker and looked up to see his ruby optics bright with relief. She cupped the sides of his faceplate before seizing his mouth, forcing an insistent kiss on him.

Starscream froze, not sure of what to do. On one hand, he was reunited with his lover after a few of the most unsure and stressful days of his life. On the other, she was lavishing affection on him in front of his long-time enemy and her former love interest. Losing to his spark he submitted to her and tried to return the action as modestly as possible.

During the pair’s reunion, the room was filled with shocked faces and gasps of disbelief. Jazz stood stock still with his mouth hanging open as he had in the field. Wheeljack sighed as he shook his head, almost in embarrassment. Poor Perceptor very nearly fainted, almost hitting the floor but First Aid was able to catch him and steer the mech to a chair by the diagnostic station. The only mech that remained expressionless and silent was Rodimus.

Despite the storm of emotions running through his mind and spark he was trying to reign in his reaction as best he could. For a moment he almost smiled. Seeing his friend happy once more was comforting. He didn’t want her to remain cold and resentful because after all, that wasn’t the person she was. However, as the moments passed watching the two of them Rodimus felt piercing grief cloy at his spark. For a moment he envisioned himself in the seeker's place being kissed by Knightflyer and couldn’t believe how tremendously he had erred. Without realizing it he must have been making a pathetic expression as he saw the feme open her optics in his direction and back off the seeker, looking mildly embarrassed. Steeling himself the Prime moved across the room, past the pair holding servos, to First Aid.

“First Aid, I was hoping you and Perceptor could see to Starscream’s repairs.” The small medic cocked his helm for a moment, visor practically bulging from his face. “It wouldn’t be very Autobot like to leave him in this state, now would it?” Rodimus softly smiled as he nodded at the small medic. Optic visor softening, First Aid bowed to his commander.

“Oh course sir! We’ll get started right away…” the medic looked to Perceptor still seated and looking like he was still trying to process what he had just witnessed. “Or as soon as my colleague has had some time to collect himself.” Walking past Rodimus the medic approached the couple still bathing in each other’s presence. First Aid was glad for the plate he wore on his face because without it he probably would’ve been grinning like an idiot at the two flyers. “See, I told you it would be alright,” the small bot winked at Starscream as he patted his forearm. Knightflyer and Starscream looked into each other’s optics for a moment before both nodded their thanks to the little medic.

Rodimus approached them too, nodding, “I’ll leave you to it then.” The Prime looked at Starscream with a look that said “don’t frag this up” before he turned to leave the room. Knightflyer held her intake before letting go of Starscream’s hand to run after Rodimus. He stopped as she took his hand and squeezed it tightly, smiling with filmy optics.

“Thank you…” she uttered with an almost fearful voice. He knew she didn’t want to intentionally hurt him. The misunderstanding was his fault after all and who was he to get in the way of her happiness. With his other servo, he gave her upper arm a gentle tap. As she let go of his hand he waved as the doors shut and he stood in the seemingly freezing hallway. He stared at the door before he heard what sounded like something wet hitting the floor. Looking down he saw a cascade of tears running down his frame. Suddenly his comlink clicked on and he was never so happy to hear Magnus’ voice, saving him from spiralling to the Pit. Well, until Magnus actually spoke, anyway.

“Rodimus! Did I just hear right that you took Starscream out of the brig….without discussing this with me first!?” the intense betrayal in his voice made the Prime cringe. Straightening himself Rodimus wiped away the fluid on his faceplates and tried to clear his vocal processor. “We need to have a meeting on this, now!” sighing the Prime realized this was his mess and he better clean it up.

“You’re right, Magnus. Could you give me half an hour?” 

“You got 5 minutes!” was the head of security’s response before the link went dead. Sighing again he headed in the direction of his office, knowing full well that he was in for it.


	13. Chapter 13

After the med bay doors closed Knightflyer rejoined her seeker. He gently stroked the side of her faceplates with the back of his servo. As he looked into her optics he saw them cloud over with a film of lubricant. Taking her servo with his other one he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Hey,” he coaxed. “What’s wrong?” She blinked at his words and took a deep intake as she tried to smile. He suspected Rodimus was part of her distress but waited for her to say it herself. She shook her helm as she cleared her vocal processor.

“I’m ok… it’s just…you know what happened, right?” she asked, voice wavering. With a solemn sigh, Starscream nodded. He’d actually been trying not to think about it while he was locked up. Most of the Cons that had died and been reformatted he couldn’t care less about. The only loss he felt was of his trine mates. At one point in the cell, he had chanced to see if he could sense any piece of Thundercracker and Skywarp through the trine bonds. The cold nothing he was answered with confirmed his comrades, his brothers, were indeed gone. Focusing on his companion he found her screwing her optics shut, shaking, trying not to cry.

“I can’t believe it…” she whimpered. “Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet… Optimus. I can’t believe they’re…gone!” Starscream took her into his arms and she folded into him. As much as he wanted to comfort her he found his own in her warmth. Closing his optics he tried to soothe her with gentle strokes to her back. After a few moments, he felt her shaking cease and he slowly released her to nudge her chin up to look at him.

“I wish I could change it,” he said with a soft smile. “I wish I could’ve swayed Megatron, stopped this needless tragedy from ever happening. However, if I were a “religious” mech, maybe I’d think our stranding on that planet happened for a reason. We were spared that…horror. Also, if not for our stay there we wouldn’t have found each other, right?” Her optics softened at his words as he straightened his frame. “We owe it to those we lost to go on and change the cycle, don’t you think?” with a broad smile, she nodded, holding his servos tightly.

“He’s right about that” First Aid added as he approached the couple. “I mean if a Decepticon can have a change of spark I’d say there’s hope, wouldn’t you say?” the medic winked at the seeker. “Anyway, I think we’re ready to do a pre-op exam if you are?” Starscream nodded, following the medic, with Knightflyer at his heels. Perceptor apparently senses recovered, was waiting at the diagnostics station. Starscream got up on the table and waited for the two to start their scans. Knightflyer stuck close to her mech, practically giddy to be reunited with him.

As Jazz silently observed the room he couldn’t hide his smile of approval. The feme’s deep affection for the seeker was as plain as Red Alert’s paranoia. Ever since the incident in the field Jazz had hoped the apparent bond they shared was genuine. If a mech like Starscream could come around like that then maybe eventually more would as well. For a moment, hope flashed through Jazz’s spark. Hope that he might live to see the end of this war.

The sudden sound of the med bay doors opening shocked him back to the present. Sideswipe stepped in and acknowledged his commander. The front liner’s optics widened in surprise as he spotted Starscream, unrestrained, cavorting with Knightflyer, across the room. Indicating with a thumb in the seeker’s direction the red mech looked at jazz.

“Who let him out?”

“Rodimus,” Jazz answered. “Sounds like he might give ol’ Screamer a chance.”

“Hmmph,” Sideswipe huffed before he took a deep intake and walked over to the seeker. Knightflyer was the first to notice him and tried not to give him a warning glare. The red Lambo wasn’t as volatile as his twin but she was still wary. Sideswipe came to face the seeker where he sat, a mild look of concern on his face. Straightening his frame the red mech extended his arm, servo outstretched. “Sorry…” Starscream stared unmoving at the mechs gesture before slowly taking his hand with a nod.

“Thank you… Sideswipe.” The seeker said with a meek chuckle. “In reality, I’m sure I more than deserved having my aft handed to me.” The front liner looked to the feme who just smiled at him, bowing her thanks as well.

“Yeah, well,” Sideswipe cleared his voice, “we did go a little overboard out there so… let’s call it even for now, ok?” as Starscream smiled Knightflyer came to the Lambos side and gave him a soft punch to his shoulder.

“What brings you around, Sides?” the femme asked. “Couldn’t Springer find something mind-numbingly boring for you to do?” Sideswipe grinned with a chuckle.

“Oh I’m sure he could but I had already promised to come by today to help out here.” The red mech said with a hint of sadness in his vocalizer. Knightflyer was shocked by his statement, remembering how in the past he had hated med bay duty, usually assigned to him regularly, as punishment for causing mischief.

“Sides, I thought you came here because Ratchet used to…” her voice wavered remembering the medic and his strict attitude to the twins. Sideswipe smiled at the mention of the medic’s name.

“Well, maybe old habits die hard.” The tone in the mechs voice sounded that of fond remembrance. “Besides, the last thing I need is a lecture from him when it’s my turn to join him on the other side,” winking to the feme he smiled. All Knightflyer could do was smile at him warmly, knowing he was doing this out of remembrance, honoring the late medic. With that, he went off to find a mop or something.

“What was that about?” Starscream asked Knightflyer. Shaking her helm as if the bolster herself she returned to his side.

“Ratchet used to make him help out here when he got hurt from recklessness or got in trouble for fooling around, a punishment of sorts.” The feme chuckled faintly.

“But from what I understand Ratchet is…” the seeker stopped himself as he saw the soft grief in Knightflyer’s optics. “I see” he started to wonder if anyone on the Decepticon side would be as sentimental for Hook.

For the next hour, numerous diagnostics and scans were made, while Sideswipe would busy himself around the area, doing his best rendition of random songs from the radio, much to Perceptor’s chagrin. Knightflyer never left Starscream’s side and they chatted about various things, most were anecdotes of their time on planet “x” as they ended up calling it. At least it distracted Perceptor from his annoyance of Sideswipe. After a while, First Aid brought the seeker a container of Energon. He took it after telling the medic he did get some since arriving at the base.

“Its standard procedure,” the medic responded. “For pre sedation protocols” Starscream choked as he sipped from the cube. During his time with the Decepticons, a lot of procedures were done without sedation. Usually out of necessity unless the subject was already unconscious from injury. Despite how trustworthy the medic should be being at someone else’s mercy made the seeker uneasy. Again, as though First Aid could sense his apprehension he bowed humbly.

“Even though your cockpit is an easy fix, your cog will take more time and I’d prefer to spare you the stress. I’m sure you’ve had your fill the last few days, am I right?” his visor trained on the seeker's optics and could see they were indeed weary. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to make your doctor nervous while he works on a sensitive organ, would you?” the medic winked with a lilt to his voice. After a moment to ponder the idea Starscream agreed with him but not before a thought crossed his mind.

“First Aid, would you please remove my Decepticon insignia, as well?” the medic looked at him questioningly. “I’m not asking for an Autobot one. I wouldn’t presume unless I had earned it… it’s just this one doesn’t serve me anymore.” Nodding the medic agreed.

He finished off the cube as they got him settled on the bench and collected their instruments. The seeker fidgeted before Knightflyer took his servo and wrapped her other arm around his shoulder. She gave him a gentle kiss before smiling at him warmly.

“I’ll be right here, don’t worry.” Her words reassured him and he nuzzled her neck until Perceptor’s voice cleaved their moment like a knife.

“Ahem! We’re ready to proceed…if you are?” he stated indifferently. Nodding Starscream reclined on to the table as they connected an Energon line, diagnostic cables, etc. “initiating sedation protocols.” Perceptor announced as Starscream snapped his helm to look at his beloved as she took his servo firmly. There was a slight tremble in her hand as she tried to reassure him.

“As I said, I’ll be right here when you wake up.” Smiling warmly she stroked his arm. He was about to say something before his optics dimmed and his helm lulled to the side. She vaguely heard First Aid say something about “that was fast” before the room spun and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you've probably noticed I've taken a little liberty regarding a few characters so far. I decided to include Wheeljack despite him being killed in the original Unicron incident. come at me Hasbro! lol


	14. Chapter 14

It took Knightflyer a few moments before she realized she was again waking up, groggy. As she sat up, she found she was in the recovery room, with another canister of Energon connected to her port. Scanning the room, she found Sideswipe was sitting in the chair Kup had used before, helm lulled back, asleep.

“Hey...” she said as he snapped back to the land of the living. “What happened?” she asked as his optics focused on her. She fumbled for the control panel to sit up until the mech came and helped her with it. She motioned it was raised enough and sighed as she took a deep intake. Sideswipe sat back down and stretched his frame.

“You passed out after ‘Screamer went under. They said your levels were low, probably from stress.” Sideswipe stood again and walked over to her. “They had me bring you in here, hooked you up to some med grade and told me to observe you.” With a cocky grin, he leaned in and tried his best to impersonate a character from one of his favorite movies. “You have been weighed, you have been measured and have been found wanting!” Putting up his servos in surrender he laughed before she could berate him. “I’ll let them know you’re awake” he winked as he turned to leave.

“Wait!” she pleaded. “How’s Starscream?”

“Doing fine from what I heard,” he said indifferently before leaving the room.

With an exasperated sigh, she fell back onto the platform. She had been hoping for more information than that. For a moment she contemplated getting up and checking herself but from the way her helm spun she decided against it.

‘Stress? Really!? I’m disabled from…stress?!’ her processor flooded trying to figure out why she felt so weak. Considering the conditions she had just come from, and its daily stresses, it didn’t make sense. Since becoming a Cybertronian she couldn’t remember feeling this way, after being injured, or otherwise. Even after first waking up in this body she had never been so easily weakened. ‘Maybe I was used to being in a constant state of it there..? Now I can relax and...Maybe I was tired more than I thought?’ sighing she leaned back and shut her optics. ‘Maybe I need to swallow my pride…’ she lamented.

Taking a deep intake she decided to try not to worry about Starscream. If there were any complications she was sure First Aid would tell her…right? ‘Like dad used to say ‘worrying needlessly is a waste of energy’ right?’ For a moment the memory of her human father’s words made her spark ache. Unlike her mother, he was stable, strong and kind. So much like Optimus had been… Those days seemed like a dream, a far off memory. ‘What would they think of me now if they knew?’ she pondered before the door opened again. This time it was First Aid steering a gurney with Starscream on it, still unconscious. For a moment her spark froze before she made a move to get off her berth as the medic put up his hand.

“It’s ok!” he stated. “Everything went well. He’ll be fully functional when he wakes.” The feme slumped with a relieved sigh. “I’ve chosen to let him come back online naturally. Being in custody has stressed out his systems. I could tell he hadn’t gotten much recharge so the forced ‘nap’ wasn’t a bad idea.” Knightflyer could vaguely remember his statement of how fast he had gone out before. First Aid manoeuvered the platform beside her and she reached over to stroke his forearm.

“Yeah, can’t imagine he got very comfortable in there.” Thinking back she could tell by how he held himself he was trying to hide his exhaustion. Being a bot that could fly regardless of having a functioning alt mode being grounded before had been torture. She couldn’t imagine how being locked up in a box had traumatized him. Gazing at his peaceful face she sighed in contentment.

“Well, I should let you rest as well,” First Aid said as he approached the door to the room. “Oh, and barring any emergencies the two of you won’t be disturbed until morning.” Knightflyer gave him a confused look until he winked on his way out and the door shut. She sat blinking in surprise at his implication until she snorted out loud. Despite missing Ratchet like she did she decided having First Aid around might not be so bad.

She watched Starscream vent steadily in recharge for a few moments until she shifted over to his platform and curled up against his frame. Resting her helm in the crook of his right shoulder she laid her hand on his cockpit, drinking in the familiar pulse from his spark. As much as she hated hospitals and the like, it wasn’t long before she too was deep in recharge.

It was only a few hours until she was roused by movement beside her and she sat up to find a groggy seeker, slowly waking up. Starscream’s optics finally focused on her and he sat up in surprise, seemingly confused.

“It’s ok,” she reassured him. “We’re in the recovery room. They let you wake up on your own because you were so exhausted.” Blinking at her the seeker slowly nodded as he looked around the room. He saw her empty berth beside his, where she had apparently joined him. Focusing on the Energon canister suspended from it, he followed the line to her transfusion port and remembered she hadn’t been hooked up before. Mild panic hit him as he took her arm gently and looked into her optics.

“Are…you ok?” he asked urgently. “You didn’t have a line connected before. Please tell me you didn’t do what I think you did?!” his voice dripped with concern. He couldn’t stand the thought that she could’ve risked herself after being so weakened before. Shaking her head, she patted his hand on her arm.

“No, actually I passed out right after you went under,” she said sheepishly. “Guess I pushed myself too fast or something. They said it was from stress, can you believe it? Stress! If they want stress they should’ve been where we were, right?” the seekers face softened and took her servo to his lips, relieved. Her faceplates warmed up instantly, as did other things. Leaning forward she kissed him tenderly and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tightly. She felt him shake as he broke the kiss and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she coaxed.

“It’s just…I can’t believe that I’m here…with you.” He vented heavily, trying to steady himself. After a moment he drew back to look her in the optics. “I was afraid I’d never see you again. Afraid I’d never hold you like this. When First Aid came to see me in the brig I panicked because I hadn’t heard you were alright and…” Knightflyer drew him close again and stroked his shoulder. “I guess part of me is afraid this is real….and I don’t have a clue what’s going to happen next.” Suddenly he remembered where they were and his optics shot to the door and he stiffened. Again, the femme tried to comfort him.

“It’s ok,” she hummed. “Sounds like we have a few supporters so don’t worry about it.” A coy grin crossed her lips for a moment. “Actually, when First Aid brought you in he said unless there is an emergency no one would be bothering us until morning.” She felt the seeker’s frame temperatures shoot up at the thought before he groaned.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I’m not wanting to do that right now…” he sighed. “But I think the last few days have taken their toll. He’s right about my Energon levels. I mean the lack of recharge, the stress…” Starscream groaned again. He practically had permission from a medical officer to frag away but his ability to perform was questionable at present. Adding insult to injury he could tell Knightflyer wanted it too. As his servo grazed the fuel line in her arm he knew it wasn’t a good idea for either of them at the time, no matter how strong the desire was. Smiling softly, he took her servos in his and looked into her optics. “I’m just thankful I get the chance to recharge with you again.” the feme sighed but nodded, smiling.

“Well, then you better make some room, commander,” she winked. He did as she settled in in front of him and he wrapped himself around her. He had barely finished nuzzling into the back of her neck before he started to drift off into recharge, with her not far behind him.


	15. Chapter 15

Both flyers had rested so soundly they barely noticed the door chime go off numerous times. Apparently, after the 20th try, the medic’s decided to send in someone. The lucky mech happened to be Sideswipe, optics covered by a servo, inching in reluctantly.

“Ok! Morning time! Better make yourselves decent cuz I’m coming in!” the red Lambo took a few steps in before taking his hand away from his face, anticipating a salacious display. Instead, he found two groggy bots, struggling to shake off fatigue. “Aww…” he whined with disappointment, hoping he’d at least find a mess of evidence of a ‘night of fun’. “If you guys can stand, First Aid wants to check you out before discharging you,” Sideswipe announced as he sauntered out of the room. Knightflyer chuckled while Starscream sneered at the insinuation. First to get off the berth she motioned for the seeker to join her as she stepped into the med bay.

As she strolled out the door Starscream took a cautious peek outside their room. He found it was only Perceptor and First Aid present, save for the Lambo twin already announced. He joined the feme at the diagnostics station as she was getting scanned, Perceptor giving the seeker a scrutinizing glare. With a sigh, he shook his head at the scientist.

“We didn’t do anything, you know.” He tried to assure the other mech.

“If you say so, Starscream,” Perceptor coldly responded turning his attention to the diagnostics display. After a moment the scientist’s expression went neutral and nodded to the seeker before beginning to scan Starscream himself. The pair were examined individually for five minutes before First Aid addressed them.

“Well, Starscream, it looks like the procedures went well. From what I can see your transformation cog is functioning but I will request permission for you to physically test it to confirm.” Starscream was reminded of his restrictions he would have while at the Autobots base but nodded his thanks all the same. “As for you,” the medic addressed Knightflyer, “your levels still aren’t ideal but I’ll clear you to leave the med bay, on the conditions you return for daily examinations. Can’t be too careful. I need you to make sure that you intake at least 6 rations of Energon per day. I know it’s twice the normal amount for an average Cybertronian on duty leave but…”

“Duty leave?” Knightflyer interrupted.

“Yes. I’m afraid until your levels normalize I can’t clear you for active duty. I hope you understand that it’s a precaution.” First Aid was matter of fact with his delivery of the news but his concern also evident. With a sigh she nodded, agreeing to his terms. Starscream gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and she relaxed again.

As First Aid reminded Knightflyer of her daily appointments Hound strode into the med bay. Upon seeing him the feme ran up to him to give him a big hug. Everyone else, including Starscream, sighed at her display.

“Glad you’re still with us, Hound!” she exclaimed as he laughed.

“Didn’t think some Decepticons and a giant monster would get the best of me, would ya?” he joked. As Starscream approached them Hound sobered his joy and stood to face the now ex Decepticon. As they faced each other Starscream was the first to extend his servo.

“Hound, I’d like to offer my condolences. Both sides have lost far too much. I would like to help end that cycle.” The seeker looked him in the optics, with sincerity and honor. In shock, Hound took his servo firmly and nodded. The trio stood in awkward silence until Hound found his voice.

“Ahem. Well, I’m supposed to escort you two to Rodimus’ office now that you’re cleared to leave, so follow me, would you?” gesturing toward the door he waited for the flyers to exit the med bay. As the three walked down the halls Starscream and Knightflyer were cast varying glances by varying bots. The seeker was sure they were judging him, already assuming he was up to his old ways and he was struggling to hide his frustration. That was until Knightflyer took his servo to comfort him. She smiled openly and waved to a few she recognized happily. He felt his anxiety melt even though they were on their way to see Rodimus. The mech that Starscream was sure would keep his optics open for a reason to slag him. The fact she wasn’t afraid comforted him immensely.

Hound stayed outside as the pair entered the office. They were greeted by Rodimus, Kup and Ultra Magnus. The seeker felt his fuel pump stop for a nano click. In this room were the heaviest hitters to want him offline and he had walked in willingly. Glancing to Knightflyer she smiled as she let go of his hand to present them as professionally as they could.

Glancing around the room Knightflyer saw Kup wearing a mild smile which made her feel slightly at ease. Ultra Magnus wore his usual stoic expression, which wasn’t surprising. She paused on Rodimus; his optics looked weary and dull. No doubt he’d been up all night with Magnus discussing rules, protocols and Rodimus’ apparent disregard for them.

For a moment she felt sorry for him. Two weeks ago their world had been torn apart with death and destruction, leaving him to command their faction, without warning. Part of her could empathize with him, based on her own experience, becoming an Autobot, then finding out she had the Creation Matrix. During her isolation on that alien world, she had felt and come to realize the gravity of the power that had been entrusted to her. Rodimus gestured for the pair to sit. After they did, he cleared his vocal processor.

“Thank you…both for coming,” he nodded to both flyers. “I’ll try to make this as brief as possible. Needless to say, it’s been a long night.” The Prime almost sneered in Magnus’ direction. “Starscream, as I said before conditions regarding your stay here would be worked out and I think we have settled on the basics. First off, in relation to your insignia…” he trailed off as his optics focused on the seeker’s wings. “Well, guess we can scratch that one off.” Starscream had to stifle a smirk from his reaction. “Next is we are willing to let you move freely around the base, but for the time being, you will be restricted strictly to it. That means you will not leave and unfortunately, that will mean no flying, for the time being.” The seeker’s wings drooped slightly but he nodded in acknowledgment. Noticing Starscream’s reaction the prime tried addressing his concern.

“Given time, that condition could be amended. On that note, we need to find something for you to do in the meantime. Considering the work that needs to be done on Cybertron now, we hope you could lend your scientific expertise…” the seeker perked up at the mention of his specialty. “Well, with that settled I’ll ask you to report to Wheeljack in the morning in the science lab. I believe Skyfire will be arriving tomorrow with samples…and other stuff I don’t understand.”

“I will, Rodimus,” Starscream stood to attention, acknowledging the order. “And …thank you for the opportunity to prove my worth…sir!” again the Prime was taken aback by the seeker’s response. It was hard to imagine he was anything other than sincere.

“Alright then,” Rodimus vented heavily. “Just so you know I’ll be sending a message link to everyone on the base regarding your conditions, as well as an encrypted one to those off-world, of the current situation. Rest assured, if anyone acts against you without provocation it will be punished accordingly.” Rodimus gazed to Knightflyer sitting next to the flyer, her optics straining to keep the lubricant behind her sockets from spilling out, as she smiled. Without realizing it he smiled back and nodded to her, glad she wasn’t looking at him with hate or disdain. Rodimus stood also, everyone else following suit.

“Ok, well then…” he trailed off. “Knightflyer, would you give our new seeker a tour of the base?” the feme nodded emphatically. “Thank you. Oh! And First Aid sent a request for you to test your cog. You can do that as well, just you know, not the flying part. You are free to go outside but not out of the perimeter, understand?” Starscream nodded sharply. “Well then, I guess…dismissed?” his awkward delivery was ignored as both flyers nodded and left the room. The Prime sat back down, venting heavily, exhausted. After a moment he felt Kup’s servo on his shoulder again. He looked up to see the elder’s optics shining as he smiled.

“You did good lad,” the grizzled mech didn’t give him a cocky grin, but a sincere smile. Rodimus nodded back and was about to dismiss him and Magnus until his comlink alerted him to someone urgently awaiting a response.

“Oh, Swerve. No, I didn’t forget. Everything is a go. Right, see you then.” As the link severed, Rodimus leaned back with a heavy sigh. “This is going to be a long day…”


	16. Chapter 16

Knightflyer was practically vibrating with excitement and joy as she led her seeker through the base. This time there weren’t as many stern glances at the pair and Starscream felt a little more at ease. She showed him where the science lab was, after she called Wheeljack, as the old one was not usable at the moment. After they left the new one, they came across access to the open courtyard area and she pulled him outside.

Letting go of his servo she stepped into the open, closed her optics and took a deep intake. The mech sighed watching her relax as she took in every scent and sensation from being outside. He was again reminded of what he found so endearing about her. It took a moment for him to realize he had an opportunity to try out his alt mode. Once he did, he initiated the protocols and his body effortlessly configured into jet mode.

“Yes!” Knightflyer cheered and danced in place seeing him in his old form. Starscream sighed to himself, relieved the surgery was a success, but also that he wouldn’t be taking to the skies in it or otherwise for the foreseeable future. In a second he reverted to his root mode and Knightflyer ran up to embrace him.

“At least I didn’t break it...” she whispered, looking into his optics. Kissing her tenderly he tried to convey his relief.

“Even if it had been destroyed I would’ve blamed the crash anyway,” he smiled at his beloved. ‘Beloved’ the word rang through his processor. ‘To think I’d ever think of another that way....’ “Well, is the tour over already?” she smirked at him as she slapped his pectoral slat and started to walk ahead, back into the compound. Starscream smiled as he followed her, hoping it would lead to her, their quarters.

They passed a few different stations, most just technical and information storage. A few she had to com Wheeljack about, as they were new, reassigned since the attack. They passed by the room that had been made into a kitchen for her use but she didn’t feel the need to point it out to him. Even though she shouldn’t need to feel embarrassed about it she still was reluctant to show it to him. They passed the med bay and made their way down the hall holding servos.

Starscream felt his Energon run hot, waiting for the moment they would reach her quarters. After catching up on the recharge he had missed and been told he was welcome at the base he couldn’t wait to show her how much he had missed her while he was incarcerated. As they entered a large open room, littered with tables, chairs, and Energon dispensers, the feme seemed bewildered.

“This is the mess hall…but it’s usually busier than this.” The pair gazed around the room, devoid of even a human soldier’s presence. During her entire existence there she had never seen it completely empty, even in the middle of the night. For a moment she feared that the casualty list was longer than she wanted to know. Before she could comment further her comlink chirped, with Magnus on the other end.

“Knightflyer, if you and Starscream could please join me in section 13, there are a few more subjects that were not brought up in your previous briefing.” His tone was, as always, unreadable. The sudden order and the absence of anyone in the mess hall slightly made her nervous.

“Alright, Ultra Magnus, we’ll be right there.” With that the security chief cut off his end, leaving the feme confounded. Starscream cocked his helm, wondering what was bothering her. “Magnus wants to talk to us, I guess.” She took his servo and led them out of the mess hall, down the hallway, to a staircase leading to a lower level. As they descended, she saw a blank plaque she didn’t remember seeing before.

“You look worried…” the seeker said as he watched her optics focus on the wall before looking ahead to the set of doors at the bottom.

“It’s just…I’m wondering why he’d want to see us down here. From what I knew this was just storage and stuff down here.” She did her best to hide her anxiety but Starscream obviously had picked up on it. He gave her servo a reassuring squeeze as they reached the door. As she hit the door command switch she could not have been less prepared for what they were greeted with.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait between chapters. my muse is mischieveous and is trying to distract me with a certain vain mech lol.

“Welcome home!”

As the doors opened a crescendo of voices rang out, along with excited clapping and hoots of joy. Completely shocked, Starscream jumped back a good ten feet. Knightflyer herself had gasped before seeing a large room filled with various Autobots, all holding up glasses of Energon or engex (presumably). At the back of the room was a large, roughly put together, banner with the words “welcome back!” scrawled across it.

Under it was what looked like a bar set up complete with glassware, dispensers and varying bottles of liquids. To the left corner there looked to be a stage of sorts, where Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and Kup were standing. All three were holding up glasses themselves. Knightflyer covered her mouth with both of her servos as she realized what was going on, fighting back tears of joy. ‘Oh, my god…you guys!’ As she scanned the room, she spotted the short red and white mech that had been behind the bar rush around it to greet her.

“Hey, Knightflyer, I presume?” he addressed her. “I’m Swerve. I came here a few weeks ago. I’m a metallurgist by trade but you can call me the resident morale officer!” the smaller bot offered her his hand and she took it as he gave her an enthusiastic smile. “Welcome to my bar! Its perfect irony I just got it up and running as you arrived. Ya know, I told Rodimus it would be the perfect way to throw a grand opening by throwing you a surprise party!” looking at the smaller bot she had never met she wanted to hug him. Again, she looked around the room at all the familiar faces and some not, before she looked back to him.

“Thank you, Swerve. I…I don’t know what to say!” she fought to keep herself stable. The idea of the gesture…was almost too much. That was until Starscream came up beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to him to see him smiling warmly. There was the clink of glass from the corner of the room and everyone’s attention was instantly drawn to the stage.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Swerve for throwing this shindig, in honor of the return of our friend, comrade, Knightflyer.” Rodimus gestured toward the feme with his glass. “By the grace of Primus, and her own ingenuity has returned to us. After the losses we all have suffered recently her return has warmed the sparks of all who are gathered here and we want to express our deep appreciation of her. Unfortunately, I’m not as gracious with words as our previous, dear; Optimus Prime had been so I hope I can convey our sentiments adequately.” Rodimus took a moment to try to gather his thoughts as he looked at Starscream. After a steadying intake, he looked amongst his troops again.

“Also I would like to extend our thanks to Starscream. As I understand it he did aid in their survival of the struggles that they encountered during their experience in an alien world. I would also ask that everyone help welcome him into our fold. We look forward to his co-operation and assistance in ending this conflict, once and for all.” Prime’s optics focused on the seeker's shocked optics as he nodded resolutely, never breaking the contact. The seeker stole a wary glance around the room. To his surprise, he wasn’t met with glares but smiles and nods in his direction.

“With that being said…Welcome, both of you. Let’s party!” The room erupted in cheers and clinking and breaking of glass, in some cases. Music began playing as many rushed up to the bar for a refill while others continued to cheer and smile in the pair’s direction.

Starscream felt like he was being swept away by a mountainous tide. He had never seen such a display of appreciation or friendship to another while with the Decepticons. Despite all the wrongs he had done, the acts of brutality, they seemed to be willing to give him a chance. He stood frozen in place, watching Knightflyer, embracing various mechs he knew of, exchanging greetings. For a moment he felt panic set in. This type of reception was completely alien to him and he felt suffocated. He was contemplating making for the door when Wheeljack approached him, holding a glass.

“Got ya a drink. It is a party after all.” The seeker stared at it for a moment before taking it and draining the glass in one shot. “Easy there,” the scientist warned. “Swerve’s engex is pretty powerful stuff,” he laughed. Nodding Starscream swallowed it, venting sharply. Looking at the glass he remembered his crudely fashioned flask and smirked.

“Pretty sure the rough stuff we made on the planet would put most of the mechs here in stasis lock,” he chuckled as he looked at Wheeljack. The scientist stood still for a moment before erupting into laughter and wrapped an arm around the seeker's shoulders. The action startled him but Wheeljack seemed oblivious.

“Come on, we need to get you a refill. I wanna hear more about that place.” As Starscream was nudged along he looked over his shoulder to see Knightflyer smiling affectionately at him. He smiled back with a sigh and let himself be led along to the bar. 

The feme had been so bombarded with friends rushing up to her she almost forgot about Starscream and was worried he would feel abandoned. Seeing Wheeljack extending the olive branch settled her worry. She was aware it would take him time to get used to things at the base but seeing someone show him some trust outright made her relax a little. Glancing to one of the tables she spotted the Witwicky family and walked over to them.

“Spike, Carly, Daniel!” she waved as she got closer and found their area covered with various foods. As she took in the scents her mouth started to water. The family waved her over as Daniel stood up to open his arms to her. She leaned in to let the boy hug her. “I’m glad that you all are alright. Sorry, I wasn’t around to help…” her voice lowered with a twinge of guilt. The boy shook his head smiling.

“It’s ok, Alexis…I mean…Knightflyer.” Daniel looked to the floor somewhat embarrassed. She laughed with a smile and patted the boy on the head.

“I don’t mind you calling me that, ok? After all, it still is my name, right?” she winked at him setting him at ease. “It was probably pretty scary, is what I meant. Sorry I wasn’t here to help.”

“Yeah, it was, but I got to use dad's old exo-suite and it rocked!” the boy cheered. The feme laughed again nodding to his parents. From what she had been told Carly could’ve been widowed very easily. Looking to the boy she remembered what her childhood had been like and grieved for his loss of innocence. He had to see so many bots he had grown up with die, including Optimus. Part of her was jealous that he had gotten to say goodbye to him when the time came. Distracting herself from feeling grief she gazed upon the spread the family had set out. They had undoubtedly brought enough for any other humans who might attend but even then there was a lot! Spike had obviously seen her eying up the table.

“You’re welcome to have some. We brought too much.” The man rubbed the back of his neck with a grin. She knew they were aware of her preference but it was still a little of a shock. She zeroed in on a plate of steaks and ribs. Nodding with a smile she grabbed a couple of each and munched them in one bite. Closing her optics she sighed, relishing the seasonings, something she missed having to rough it. After a moment she snapped open her eyes and found the family smiling at her, not disgusted. Daniel held up a plate of nachos with a beaming smile and with a thank you nod she began picking at the plate.

On the other side of the room, Wheeljack was relentless with his queries about the alien planet she and the seeker had been stranded on. Starscream recanted every significant scientific iota of information he could remember. Everything from the extreme weather anomalies, to the aggressive wildlife. The scientist had taken great amusement over Starscream’s encounters with the latter. Holding up his glass he offered a salute to his new comrade.

“Well, at least it wasn’t boring, eh?” Wheeljack winked at the seeker. Starscream wasn’t sure if he was referring to the environment or other things. The seeker found himself gazing to the feme’s direction. The humans were offering her some of their repast and she seemed to happily enjoy it. He smiled. He remembered how she had told him of how she had hidden her enjoyment of consuming organic material. To see her do it as she had done when it was just the two of them set his mind at ease.

Suddenly he was being nudged by his drinking buddy, a fresh glass of engex in his servo. “She’s probably thirsty,” the mech said as he winked, offering it to him with a nudge in her direction. With a nod, he strode over to her. As he watched the humans he saw them stiffen slightly, the female putting her arm around their offspring. Seeing their nervous reaction, he knew he had to try to offer some kind of assurance of his intentions.

“Hello, Spike,” he addressed the man shooting him a warning glare. ‘I deserve that’ he reasoned to himself. “I’m sorry for what you…and your family suffered recently.” He looked down at the man he had met as a boy and knew he was asking a lot if he expected him to trust him outright. He had been part of the initial actions against Spike’s world from the start, after all. Spike stared at him for a few moments before looking to Knightflyer who tried to smile solemnly. After a huff, he squared off with the ex Decepticon.

“Thank you. We appreciate it.” The man’s response was more than the mech expected and both just nodded to each other in understanding. After the moment passed, the seeker turned to Knightflyer, offering her the glass. She took it with a smile and a peck to his cheek plates. Both bots looked back to the family to see three sets of faces frozen in shock. Sighing Starscream rubbed his olfactory bridge, realizing they might not know what everyone else probably did by now. Before either could say anything an aqua and white mech cleaved his way over to the pair and clasped the seeker’s servos.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe it! Starscream, I’m Brainstorm! We’ll be working together! Come with me!” before the seeker could protest he was being hauled back to where Wheeljack was, already shaking his helm in embarrassment. Looking back to Knightflyer all she could do was shrug as he was drug away. Starscream caught sight of Rodimus heading for the doors to exit the bar. He politely excused himself from Brainstorm’s insistence and got to the Prime before he could leave. The seeker looked into the leader’s tired optics and bowed humbly.

“Thank you, Rodimus, for what you said. It’s more than I deserve.” Rodimus returned the gaze before he put a gentle servo on his shoulder.

“If we have any hope for peace we have to try to trust each other, don’t we,” he offered a weak smile. Starscream could see his optics dim with sadness. If he had fallen for the feme’s charms the same way he had the seeker felt a glimmer of empathy. Starscream began to wonder if, in the same position, he would be able to leave things as they were. The flyer gave him a sincere smile and backed away out of respect as the Prime left the room. Starscream turned back to the bar, alive with music, dancing, and revelry.

‘Maybe this will work, maybe…I can be happy…’ his mind dared to hope before he saw Brainstorm aggressively waving him back over to Wheeljack’s table. Glancing toward Knightflyer still engaging with her human friends, he sighed happily and made his way back to the table where others were welcoming him.


	18. Chapter 18

As the afternoon wore on into the evening, so did the party. Starscream had been unofficially been accepted into the science clique as even Perceptor had joined the group to engage the seeker in some meaningful conversation. Before he had realized it he had settled into answering their questions and opinions in earnest. It had been a few millennia since anyone had actually asked for his point of view on theories science-related and the like. Many glasses of engex later were when he realized he was actually enjoying himself. At times laughing along with jokes, even the ones at his expense. When he checked his chronometer it had been several hours since he had been by Knightflyer’s side and almost panicked. Quickly scanning the room, he found her dancing.

‘Dancing…’ something he had yet to see her do and now was rendered speechless. The music selection obviously had been up to Blaster and anyone else who preferred the human’s version of such. He didn’t pay attention to the words of the song she was dancing to, only the rhythm, which she matched effortlessly. It was lively, energetic… exquisite! As graceful as he was, he hadn’t partaken in anything so frivolous for so long he decided he should observe the room for reference.

After a time some of the songs changed to something more somber, more intimate. He noticed the floor was vacated, save for a few mechs (obviously conjunx endura) dancing closely. Spike and his mate also were partaking of the mood as they glided around the impromptu dance floor. Stealing a glance to Knightflyer he decided to study the human pair, in hopes he might learn something useful.

The tempo for the next few songs changed to more upbeat but the previous couples stayed on the floor and danced to the lively beat, still remaining close. Starscream only had vague memories of when anyone would’ve partaken in anything so lively, so happy. His spark sank slightly, thinking how far down the pit the war had drug most mechs and he felt as though he could be sick. The idea he had been part of the cause of that decline made him hate himself. That was until he felt a servo on his forearm. Looking up he saw Wheeljack’s optics looking at him as if he knew what he was thinking.

“I just put in a request to Jazz and Blaster… you should ask her for a dance on the next song.” The mech nodded to Starscream as if he knew he was struggling to find a way to express to her, to the others, that he actually cared for her. The seeker was completely stunned. Although he had known this bot for centuries, the fact he’d go out of his way to help him like this was absolutely foreign. Maybe it was the engex but he took Wheeljack’s forearm and nodded his thanks.

The current song playing, from what he could figure was called “I like it loud”, and she was moving far too fast for him to try to keep with. Until he had a chance to try, at least. He hoped the next song wasn’t so…energetic. As it ended another came on with a different beat, energetic but with another meaning. He listened to the first verse and knew it was perfect. She was still on the floor, innocently shifting around a mini-con and his conjunx. He came up to her as the verse ‘you’re what I look for’ rang through the room.

“Mind if I cut in?” he coyly asked as she looked in his optics and smiled warmly. As she offered her hand he led her into the most open area of the floor and grasped her as Spike had his mate. She looked at him, shocked, just before he moved and led her around the floor effortlessly. They glided as if in the air and she followed every move he made. It felt like when they had flown together and Starscream reveled in the feeling. She smiled at him lovingly before she broke the pattern, challenging him to match her, which he did happily. She spun around with her back to him as she swayed with the music, looking over her shoulder. If they were in private he would’ve taken her then and there. In a second she spun around to grind up close to him, which he responded to in kind. Sensing the song was coming to an end, he mimicked what Spike had done and dipped her over his knee. As they gazed at each other Starscream froze, realizing the display he had just made. They were received with a cheer from the crowd of onlookers. It was then Starscream realized they were the only couple on the floor and his faceplates heated up instantly. As he pulled her back up, she lavished him with a passionate kiss which elicited another round of cheering.

“My graceful seeker,” she purred to him making him melt. Bending on a knee joint he kissed her servo before standing to embrace her tightly, spinning them both in place. As he put her down she laughed happily. “Either you’ve had too much to drink or you’re starting to fit in.”

“Either way, I’m with you, and that’s all that matters in my optics.” Starscream saw her optics begin to tear up and on impulse kissed her passionately, regardless of who might be present. As the nanoclicks passed just after their display he feared the worst but was greeted with a roar of approval from the onlookers. He pressed his forehead to hers, laughing from relief, as she did the same.

“Mechs got some moves,” Jazz said as he joined the scientist’s table. As he watched the crowd cheer the black and white mech smiled. ‘The guy is full of surprises.’ As Blaster started up a techno number, almost all the other bots flooded the dance floor. With the sudden influx of frames surrounding him, Jazz was surprised again as the seeker didn’t retreat. As Knightflyer began to dance to the lively beat Starscream joined her, mirroring her moves. Deciding he didn’t want to be left out of the celebration he strode into the crowd to join in on the good vibes.

It was well after midnight before the last few partiers staggered out or were drug away. After Knightflyer gave Swerve a hug the pair thanked him as they trudged up the stairs, on their way to her quarters. Starscream was still buzzing from the last few hours. Not only from the engex but the whole experience itself. Despite a few mechs getting unbelievably overcharged there hadn’t been a single fight. If it had been a room full of drunken Decepticons there would’ve been at least five brawls, not to mention extensive property damage. They entered a hallway with identical doors, spaced about generously. As they reached the door at the far end of the hall Knightflyer stood in front of it and gazed at Starscream.

“Home, sweet, home!” she giggled as she activated the switch. Stepping in, with the mech in tow, she looked around the room and found it undisturbed. It was a standard room that was usually given to command-level personnel. The only reason she had it was because they had been short on rooms when it came to regular accommodations at the time.

It was a spacious area with a large vidscreen on one wall with a couch-like bench facing it. In the far corner, there was a chair and desk with a computer integrated into it. Behind the couch, there was a half wall creating a separation in the space. Starscream followed her around it to find a large recharge slab and a wash rack access in the corner.

“It’s not fancy but sure beats the cave eh?” she joked as she turned around to see Starscream by the entrance, shaking and venting heavily. She was about to ask him what was wrong until he rushed her and pressed her against the edge of the slab. Instantly he seized her mouth with his and made his desire clear. She returned the kiss passionately as she gripped his upper arms, scraping his plating in the process. It drew a heady growl from the seeker as he hoisted her up to sit on the ledge. As he ground himself between her legs he sighed to find they were aligned perfectly. Unable to take the pressure anymore his interface panel snapped open as did Knightflyer’s. Without thinking he plunged his spike deep inside of her, causing the feme to yelp in surprise. Her response snapped him back to his senses as he looked at her, concerned.

“I’m ok…!” she panted seeing his worried expression. “Just startled me a bit. Wasn’t expecting you to go straight for it.” Starscream looked at her almost sheepishly. 

“Sorry…” he purred into her neck. “I just couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t wait to feel you again.” he lifted his helm to kiss her tenderly as he stroked her wing joints. She moaned wantonly as she wrapped her legs around his hips, locking them together. The mechs desire overrode his senses again as he began to thrust into her powerfully. It didn’t take long before he felt his overload building as her valve clenched his spike harder with every thrust. As she cried his name his overload tore through his systems powerfully as his vision whited out. They held each other as they came down from aftershocks. Knightflyer leaned back to look at the mech lovingly until she saw lubricant trickling down his face.

“What’s the matter?” she asked gently as she stroked his faceplates. He smiled as he shook his head.

“Nothing…” he breathed. “for once, in a very long time, nothing is wrong!” The feme wiped his face.

“I think someone is a little drunk,” she teased him. “Hope you can sober up by morning. Especially since tomorrow, you have a job to go to.” Starscream’s expression went blank as he realized what she had said.

‘Work’, he let the word roll around in his processor. ‘Not planning some raid, terrorizing humans or Autobots, or getting abused by Megatron. Just work, honest work in the scientific field.’ He felt himself smile for a moment before he remembered Rodimus mention Skyfire. He felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension of the thought of working with his old colleague again. They hadn’t parted on good terms since he had been found in the Arctic Circle. Blinking and shaking his helm he nodded to Knightflyer.

“You’re right,” he stroked her hair. “We should turn in. it’s been a busy day.” It wasn’t until he moved did either realize he was still sheathed deep inside her. Starscream grunted as he disengaged from her and his spike depressurized. Knightflyer squirmed as she looked at the shower doors, contemplating using it before crashing for the night. With a sigh she swung her legs up onto the slab, suspecting they might not hold her up at the moment. The seeker had also chosen rest over hygiene as he settled with her. As he nuzzled the back of her neck he breathed in her scent. “I love you,” he sighed as he drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing like a party to put everyone in a good mood! I've always imagined a seeker would be pretty slick on the dance floor. thank you for letting me indulge myself ;). and for reference to the song they danced to I encourage you to look up You're What I Look For by Glass Tiger. one of my faves and thought it suited the mood.


	19. Chapter 19

Starscream slowly came online as his com line was pinging with an incoming call. Sitting up carefully, he tried not to disturb Knightflyer or set his helm spinning. As he swung his legs over the berth, he cleared his vocal processor before answering.

“Starscream here,” he responded, unsure of who might be calling him. He didn’t remember sharing his codes the day before.

“Morning, sleepyhead!” Wheeljack’s abrasive voice came through, making the slightly hungover seeker wince. “I just realized yesterday no one told you what time to report into the lab. Sorry about that…” the scientist trailed off. “How does an hour from now sound?”

“It’s alright Wheeljack,” checking his chronometer it was 7 am. “8, you got it.”

“Excellent! Hopefully, that gives you enough time to recover.” Starscream could practically hear him wink through the comlink. “Anyway, see ya when you get here.”

As Wheeljack ended the call Starscream eased off the slab and made his way to the wash rack. As the warm solvent cascaded off his frame he sighed in relief. It had been months since he had a decent wash and he was going to enjoy it. After he dried off, he checked on Knightflyer. She was still resting peacefully. He took a scan of her systems and found her levels low, lower than they should’ve been considering the amount of Engex she had taken in. Out of concern, he nudged her shoulder, attempting to rouse her.

“Ugh…” she groaned, swatting his hand away. When he didn’t relent, she painfully opened her optics to see him smile at her, an air of concern hovering over him. “Hey… what’s up?” as she tried to push herself up her arms trembled. Taking a deep breath, she grunted as she put in more effort until Starscream helped her up the rest of the way. “You don’t have to baby me, you know!” the feme almost growled. “Sorry… I’m sorry Star, I’m just getting sick and tired of feeling this weak.” The mech nodded in understanding.

“That’s understandable,” he hummed. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried,” he sighed as he stroked her face. “I’m expected in the science lab in an hour. You should get cleaned up and I’ll walk you to the med bay on my way to my post.” Knightflyer flopped back onto the berth, arms shielding her optics.

“C’mon…” she whined. “Let me sleep a few more hours. I’ll go myself after I catch a few more winks.” The seeker considered her words before shaking his helm.

“Sorry, but in your present condition I’d be too worried if I didn’t make sure you see the medic.” Separating her arms enough to glower at him she saw he was doing his best to pout for her benefit. “You wouldn’t want me distracted on my first day, would you?” after sighing in defeat the feme nodded and swung her legs over the slab. Her seeker ushered her into the wash rack where she shoved him out, insisting she could manage.

Starscream went into the living area of her quarters and was relieved to find an Energon dispenser. He filled two cubes and returned to the recharge room. While waiting for her he used his previously used towel to clean the berth of their mess. He then sat on the slab, nursing his Energon cube, waiting for her to finish up in the shower. After a good ten minutes, she emerged, seemingly steadier and refreshed. The mech patted the slab, coaxing her to join him, as he offered her the Energon. For a moment she was hesitant until she saw it was clean. She smiled as he bowed and started sipping her cube.

“I really hope this passes soon,” the feme sighed. Starscream wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her gently.

“If you can stop being stubborn and rest, I’m sure it will,” he said with a playful voice. The feme slapped his thigh, making him laugh. As she finished her cube the seeker offered his arm and they made their way down the hall. They passed a few mechs on the way but his time Starscream wasn’t concerned. In fact, a few smiled and waved at the pair. When they reached the med bay doors Starscream wrapped his arms around the feme and kissed her tenderly.

“I’ll see you later,” he sighed, not wanting to let her go. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?” Looking into her optics his expression was stoic but soft. Knightflyer gave his shoulder a light tap.

“Don’t worry about me,” she smiled to her mech. “everything will be ok. I just have to be patient, right?” she winked and he smiled at her reassurance. “Now get going or you’re gonna be late!” Starscream waved at her as he strode off. As he rounded the corner she sighed and slouched against the hallway wall. Despite the Energon before she felt somewhat drained after the walk to the med bay. ‘Earning everyone’s trust is too important for him to be distracted by worrying about me. I’m going to be fine…I’ll be alright. I always bounce back. I have to make sure he stays focused on that goal. I owe it to him…’ with a deep intake she straightened her frame and entered the med bay.


	20. Chapter 20

Lucky for Starscream, once he found the science lab, he’d have plenty of distraction from worry thanks to Brainstorm. As soon as the seeker entered the room the sporadic mech latched onto him and begun to rush him around to various stations and equipment in no particular order. Every time it seemed like Starscream could get a word in he was yanked in a 180-degree direction. After a good few minutes of this Wheeljack intervened and sent the other scientist on a proverbial snipe hunt to get him away from the poor flyer. Starscream leaned into the edge of the desk with a heavy sigh.

“Thanks, Wheeljack,” the seeker nodded to the other mech. “I know he means well, but… Primus! How does he function at that energy level?” Wheeljack just shrugged as he shook his helm.

“Been wondering that myself, honestly,” the scientist sighed. “I promise it’ll be smooth sailing from now on. That actually wasn’t all Brainstorm’s fault. The work stations are in a different order since we moved from the old lab. Old habits, I suppose,” Wheeljack winked. Starscream remained silent as his optics got to finally take in his surroundings calmly. The room was filled with standard Cybertronian tech required for a proper lab, but by the looks of some of the machines, some were in a state of needing repair. Various frame welders and wiring harnesses littered many of the workbenches. Wheeljack followed Starscream’s gaze and suddenly felt sheepish. “yeah… we’re still fixing some of the equipment. We’re pretty dam lucky we were able to salvage everything after…” his voice trailed off as he tried to chase away the memory of the recent horror.

“Fortunate, indeed!” Starscream blurted out, unsettled by the other mechs apparent distress. His sharp exclamation snapped the scientist out of his torpor as he huffed and straightened himself. “I’m here to be useful, Wheeljack. Even if that entails me doing menial work, I’m up for it.” After a short pause, Wheeljack’s optics narrowed as he grinned behind his face place. “this is your lab so tell me, what’s my job, boss?” Starscream gave a cocky grin as the other mech tried in vain to not collapse into a fit of laughter.

Most of the morning Starscream buzzed around the lab with a datapad, taking stock of inventory, samples and what materials were missing. He had offered to repair the broken equipment but Wheeljack assured him that Perceptor was adamant he would do it himself. He didn’t even try to hide a displeased sneer. ‘after all that last night and he doesn’t trust me yet?’ the seeker grumbled internally.

Wheeljack tried to put his mind at ease, saying the other scientist was very particular and wouldn’t even trust Wheeljack or First Aid to do the repairs satisfactorily. Starscream could live with that reasoning. As a result, the seeker was assigned to cataloging equipment and inventory. Despite the boring nature of his task he soon found it was a good way to become familiar with what was at his disposal.

He had fallen into a rhythm with his work until the sound and vibration of heavy footfalls reverberated through his frame. He almost dropped the datapad as he held his intake. His processor flooded with memories of every time Megatron had caught him off guard either punishing him for insubordination or just to use him as a punching bag to ease his own frustrations. He swore he could feel every punch, every kick, every tear, every shot as though it was only moments ago. Taking deep steady vents, he reminded himself where he was and that Megatron was no more. Well, close enough at the moment. Looking to Wheeljack and Brainstorm he saw neither seemed concerned so that should mean no danger, right?

As the sound grew closer Starscream focused on the door to the lab and if his optics had lasers, he would’ve bore a hole through it. His audios heard the command pad in the hall engage and he held his intake again. When the door opened, he found the opening blocked by a large object. It turned out to be a large supply cart which was about ¾ of the height of the door. As it was ushered through, he heard a low sigh of frustration.

“Wheeljack, couldn’t you have found somewhere with a bigger door?”

‘Skyfire…!’ Starscream suddenly felt his tension ease at the sound of his old colleague’s voice. Just as fast as his previous panic disappeared another took its place. The last time they had interacted it resulted in Starscream wounding him and being once again trapped in an icy prison. He had been rescued soon after by the Autobots and naturally had joined them. ‘I should’ve been the one to save him, I wish I hadn’t…’ pain flared through his spark as the regret flooded through his processor. His fuel pump froze as he saw the massive shadow of the jet crouch to enter the lab. The massive mech shifted and contorted to maneuver inside. Sighing with a stretch he rejoiced to find he could at least stand to full height once inside.

“Would you mind if I adjusted the door, Wheeljack? I know this is your lab but that’s going to get annoying.” Skyfire gestured to the opening he literally had squeezed through.

“Knock yourself out…” Wheeljack replied, not even bothering to look up from the screen he was staring at intently. Skyfire turned back to the supply cart to start to unload it when he caught sight of Starscream on the other side of the room. He saw the seeker frozen in place, lip plates pursed tightly, ruby optics practically bulging out of his helm. He was aware that Starscream was now at the base so his presence wasn’t a surprise but his reaction to Skyfire was. He had hoped the seeker would be happy to see him, not terrified. Abandoning the cart, the large jet strode toward Starscream carefully before kneeling down so he was closer to eye level with his old friend.

“Hello, Starscream. I’m glad to see you’re well,” Skyfire smiled warmly at the tricolor mech who suddenly blasted a wave of heated air from his intake, looking slightly unsteady. “Hey, are you ok...?” he tentatively reached toward the smaller mech until he was stopped by a rigid servo held up to counter. Starscream closed his optics, taking a moment to collect himself, before looking up at Skyfire. The huge mech’s gentle face wore an expression of genuine concern and worry.

“I’m fine!” the seeker blurted out, more harshly then he intended. Almost immediately Skyfire looked hurt and Starscream sighed. He was, however, relieved that his old friend hadn’t changed at all. For such a big mech he had the softest, gentlest spark of any Cybertronian. It was so comforting, in fact, that the seeker didn’t notice himself smile in response. “Glad to see you haven’t changed one bit.” Skyfire went from hurt to confused in a microsecond. “it’s good to see you again, old friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow! sincerest apologies for the late update! been driving myself insane (almost literally) trying and worrying about finding work. I left a toxic job last August and have been unsuccessful in finding another thus far. it's winter here and my mate's trade is slow because of it. if I could find one in mine again we'd be fine. been five years... Gah! Politics! anywho... getting this chapter done seemed to help my state of mind last night. I had been struggling with how it was originally going to go until I went in a completely different direction. I might use the old idea later but we'll see. huge ty to Reylov. rereading your previous comments got my aft in gear! cheers!


	21. Chapter 21

A few hours later Knightflyer trudged down the corridors, a cube of Energon in each hand. She was on her way from the mess hall after being practically ordered there by First Aid. Needless to say, he was less than pleased with her progress. After a few polite conversations in the common area, she decided to check on Starscream.

‘he might get so busy he’ll forget to refuel,’ she grinned as she glanced at one of the cubes in hand. The feme sipped from one as she rounded a corner of the hall to the lab. She poked her head in to find the lab deserted, save for the seeker, delving into a crate of supplies. He was so focused on his task he didn’t notice his mates’ approach as he cataloged. Knightflyer sighed heavily, drawing his attention.

“Why am I not surprised?” the feme hummed. “already getting stuck in, are you?” Starscream grinned broadly as he set down a clear container before approaching her. As he did his smile slowly faded into a look of concern as his optics widened softly.

“Is everything ok?” he said gently caressing Knightflyer’s face. He quickly checked his chronometer; he had been doing his job for almost three hours. To him, that was nothing. There were periods, during his service to Megatron, where he’d be working for days. Most times without Energon or even a recharge afforded him. He took a quick study of her features, worried that First Aid had given her more bad news. She shook her head with a grin and presented a cube of Energon for him.

“I knew if I didn’t bring it for you, you’d forget, workaholic!” she jokingly chastised him. With a smile and a nod, he accepted it and drew her close to lean with him against the work table. They sat together, sipping from their cubes in the quiet lab. It was a rare moment. A comfortable silence, where both knew neither had to say anything but enjoy each other's company. As Knightflyer finished hers she looked around the lab and then back at Starscream. She smiled knowing he was finally in his element, with endless opportunity to pursue his passion. He glanced down at her and caught her gaze.

“you’re staring…” he smirked as he finished his cube. “see something you like?” he whispered with a sultry tone. He felt her body temperature shoot up instantly as she held her intake. Ever the opportunist, he set down his cube behind her and took her into his arms. Carefully he took hers and set it down as well. He drew in close and nuzzled her neck. “feel like risking a reprimand for… indecent behavior?” he purred into her neck cables. He felt her shiver as he quickly took her lips with his and effortlessly coaxed his glossa to hers. After a few moments, she pulled away, venting heavily. She gasped as she felt his servo run down her leg and lift it up to wrap around his waist. She stared at him in disbelief. Whatever insecurities he had previously were obviously gone now! She was suddenly reminded of First Aid's advice earlier and she groaned, from frustration, not arousal.

“about that…” she began and was silenced by his kiss once again. She felt the heat spreading through her body, her weakness eclipsed by her need. He hoisted her to sit on the table and found his place between her legs. As salaciously tempting as it was, she knew interfacing in the lab probably wasn’t a good idea. Especially since they could get caught and she had promised to take the medic’s advice. She fought against her libido to break away from his kiss to convince him to stop.

Before she could speak a word there was a loud crash behind Starscream. Knightflyer stared over the seeker's shoulder to find they had an audience. The sound had come from Skyfire landing on the floor. He was halfway through the too-small entrance, staring at the pair with a look of shock. Wheeljack and Brainstorm had climbed over his bulk to get inside. Wheeljack sighed as he facepalmed himself. Brainstorm stood with his arms crossed and sly expression in his optics. Starscream’s dark face went almost white as he looked at his mate, optics wide.

“They came back, didn’t they?” he whispered. As she nodded, he felt his previous bravado fade as he slowly backed away from Knightflyer. He fought his panicked processor. All he could think about was what if it had been Megatron who had discovered them. He started to shake as old traumas threatened to cloud his mind. Knightflyer saw it in his optics and decided she had to diffuse the situation. Quickly! As he backed away a little more, she jumped down and grabbed the empty cubes.

“breaks over, dear. I’ll return these for recycling.” Somehow, she was keeping her cool, acting as though there was nothing out of the ordinary going on. Starscream slowly turned to the group of gawkers and then to his mate. She smiled and gave him a quick peck to cheek as she made for the Skyfire filled doorway. She turned back to Starscream with a wink “see you after you’re shift.” She looked at the huge jet sprawled on the floor, smiled at him, and hopped over his frame into the hallway.

She strode tall, proud of herself for keeping her cool. ‘I’ll let him deal with the guys. His fault anyway for not being able to control himself.’ She couldn’t help but giggle at how many questions Skyfire would have for him. Soon her little high from success began to fade and she felt sluggish again. Looking out into the courtyard she decided a nap in the sun would be a good idea right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I updated! My most sincere apologies to you guys who have been following. been a bit of a crazy time for me in my personal life, not even including the "Backstreet Boys" world tour going on. I know some are bothered by the current C-word so I thought I'd adopt a term from YouTube ;) Anyway, I had a bit of a mental downswing thanks to some personal stuff. I'm grateful for my phone sessions with my counselor and am scheduled for a more detailed assessment in August. gonna nip this thing in the bud before it controls me. I was putting off this chapter because I had a lot of ideas for it but couldn't decide what to do with it. I know its a short one but I think it's helped me get back on track!:) making it a little lighthearted I think was a good move, considering stuff going on right now. feel free to give me feedback, I love hearing from you guys!


	22. Chapter 22

During the next week, the pair fell into a routine once again. Although this time it had nothing to do with gathering essentials for survival or scrap to fend off boredom. Each morning Starscream would walk with Knightflyer to see the medic as per the CMO’s orders. The seeker would report to Wheeljack’s lab and get assigned various tasks most would find mind-numbingly boring. It seemed the rift between him and Skyfire was rapidly mending. The two mechs would usually end up sharing anecdotes by the end of the day, poking fun at each other over old memories. Despite the sense of normalcy and goodwill surrounding him, Starscream couldn’t shake some feelings of anxiety. Feelings that could easily be banished after a satisfying flight…

Knightflyer’s daily routine was even less exciting than her mate’s. She would see First Aid each morning and he would find practically the same results as the previous day. Although he was concerned, he was glad her condition didn’t seem to be declining further. After another disappointing appointment, she would go to the mess hall and visit with whoever was there. Every time she left, she would walk around the compound, checking on the areas under reconstruction. She had to give those areas a wide berth since last time Kup had to chase her away after he caught her trying to assist Hoist with some ceiling joists. She’d hoped the old mech would look the other way but that wasn’t going to happen apparently. 

Eventually, she would check on Starscream, making sure he was taking care of himself. After the seeker's first day, Skyfire had recognized his old habit of putting off Energon and had acted accordingly. The three would chat and visit until it was time to get back to work. Without anything else to do, she would end up in the green courtyard and sprawl out in the grass for a nap, letting her wings absorb the sun's warm rays.

The feme was starting to feel like dead weight, just hanging around, not doing anything productive. She’d also sensed Starscream’s tension over the last few days and she knew it had to be stemming from his current grounding. She was aware of how essential it was for a flyer to take to the skies. Knightflyer winced, remembering how badly this denial of a basic need had affected him before when he was mangled. Couple that with First Aid’s request that she avoid interfacing until her condition improved… it wasn’t just frustrating him but her as well. She wanted to be able to comfort him, help him let out his frustrated energy somehow. He’d been trying to hide his anxiety from her but as the days went by, he got even more irritable.

It was the eighth day and she had left the lab just as Starscream started an argument with Brainstorm. To her, it seemed where refrigeration equipment was to be placed was a childishly minor thing to fight over, but that didn’t stop the seeker from inserting his opinion. With a heavy sigh, she went back to her spot outside and stood, face up to the sky, watching the clouds glide overhead. As an eagle soared overhead Knightflyer steeled her resolve with a deep intake and turned back into the compound.

‘This is ridiculous. There’s gotta be something I can do…’ Knightflyer pondered. She knew the longer Starscream remained stressed out the more likely there might be an incident of some kind. Skyfire was probably the most understanding person for Starscream at the moment but eventually, even his assurances would fall flat.

For the first time since they arrived, she contemplated using her friendship with Rodimus as a trump card. Whatever the outcome he should be aware of the mech’s mental state, resulting from being denied flight. She felt nervous as her tired, fogged mind tried to figure out how she should approach Rodimus on the issue. Part of her wished Optimus was still there. Somehow, she felt she wouldn’t have this big of a problem if it was him, she was addressing.

She passed through the mess hall, intending on grabbing some Energon on the way to the Prime’s office. Instead, she absentmindedly grabbed the coffee dispenser set up for the humans. Half of the mess hall occupants stared in confusion as she plucked it up and strolled out of the room. It wasn’t until she was halfway to her destination as, she raised the container to her lips, that she realized there were going to be some grumpy soldiers. With a sigh, she opened the top lid and downed half of the contents. The familiar taste and aroma relaxed her somewhat so she continued on her way.

Soon she arrived at Rodimus’ office. The door was open and he was looking over reports. By the crease, in his optic ridge, he wasn’t enjoying the activity. He heard her approach and with a relieved smile put down the datapad.

“Knightflyer!” he exclaimed a little too excitedly. She tried to hide her amusement at his reaction. For the briefest of moments, he seemed like his old self again. The weight of responsibility suddenly lifted from his shoulders.

“Hey, are you busy…?” Knightflyer carefully asked, glancing at the abandoned report on his desk. “I can come back if…” the red mech laughed, shaking his head.

“No! not at all,” he assured her, gesturing to the seat across from him. As she sat down, he saw the coffee machine in her hand as she took a sip from it. “is there something wrong…?” he asked carefully raising an optic. She stopped and followed his gaze, realizing how strange she looked to him. With a sigh, she set it down on his desk.

“Don’t give me that look!” she bit at him. His expression remained concerned but he kept silent, as though he knew she had something important to discuss. “I grabbed that by accident. Guess I was a little distracted…” she looked at Rodimus and saw his optics soften somewhat. “I came here to talk about Starscream…”

“Oh?” the Prime hummed as he sat up a little straighter. “I hope there haven’t been any…incidents?” so far, he had been pleasantly surprised that Starscream’s presence hadn’t caused anything short of chaos. He hadn’t had a single complaint about the mech, even from Red Alert. That’s saying something! He saw his friend fidget, as though she was nervous to voice her concerns. He leaned back in his chair and opened his servo, gesturing for her to continue.

“Well, he’s getting a little antsy, irritable… I know your orders were meant well but I think being grounded is driving him crazy. I noticed when he was injured before, the idea of not flying ever again terrified him. Being physically unable to do so was understandable but now that he’s healthy and capable he’s been ordered not to. Out of respect, he has been following that request but I think it’s getting to him.” Rodimus sat forward as he rested his elbows on his desk, fingers laced together in thought. He studied her optics as she waited for a reply. After a moment he sighed as he sat up again.

“I understand you’re worried about him and I realized that asking a seeker to stay on the ground would be a tall order. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get Magnus to budge on that one.” He watched his friend slump in her chair and his spark sank. He was at a loss. He hated seeing her so down. “Maybe after another week or so I can get Magnus to ease off that stipulation?” he offered meekly. ‘I’m the leader, dammit! Why can’t I just make a decision without an inquisition first?!’ he never realized how much bureaucracy was involved with command until recently.

Knightflyer could tell Rodimus wanted to help remedy the problem but the fear of Ultra Magnus was ever-present. Not that his second in command would actually harm him, just torture him with codes of conduct and legalese. Suddenly a shard of inspiration cut through her tired processor.

“What if he doesn’t find out…?” the feme smirked from across the desk. A tinge of excitement spread through Rodimus. He hadn’t felt it in so long he had forgotten. It was the thrill of getting away with something, usually something small. Like the times the two of them would race too close to a city or other human settlement. Or the times he had snuck her into the training areas when she was organic. She had been curious to watch the mechs train but Magnus had said it was off-limits to her, for her safety.

As tempting as it was, Rodimus groaned knowing he had to act like a leader now, not some insubordinate young soldier. “As much I would like to…”

“Ultra Magnus is off base right now, right?” the feme interrupted, optics wide with excitement. Rodimus could only nod, knowing she wasn’t going to let it go. “Couldn’t we let him fly, even for five minutes?!” she clenched her hands together in front of herself, fully prepared to beg if she had to. Rodimus sighed and shook his helm.

“Even if I said yes, other than Skyfire, there aren’t any other flyers to escort him. If Magnus found out he was unchaperoned…”

“Then I’ll do it! I can fly!” Knightflyer almost sent her chair flying across the room with the force she used to stand. Rodimus studied her for a few seconds, trying to evaluate her condition. As far as he knew First Aid hadn’t cleared her for duty, let alone flying anywhere she wanted. Watching his optics, the feme straightened herself, trying to remain calm. “look, it’s better I go with him and chance Magnus finding out then him doing it himself without any permission.” She watched Rodimus as he considered what she had said. She reached across the desk and took his hand and smiled at him. The big red mech almost melted on the spot. “I know you’re worried about me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. A short cruise won’t hurt me. If anything, it will help keep the outing brief.” The Prime sighed as he smiled back at her.

“Somehow I have the feeling you’ll do it with or without permission…” he stood and gestured to the door. As they exited, he commed the seeker.

/ “Rodimus to Starscream”/

/ “Starscream here. What is it, Rodimus Prime?”/

Rodimus noted the tone to his voice. It was tight and ragged. As if he was holding in something.

/ “Will you please join me in the courtyard?”/

/ “Of course. I’ll be there shortly, sir.”/

On their way to the courtyard, Rodimus glanced to his friend. She was absolutely beaming! He smiled, despite himself. ‘anything to keep her smiling…’ he thought to himself. Starscream joined them in the courtyard as they arrived. He shot Knightflyer a panicked stare, seeing his mate with the Prime. Luckily, Rodimus wasted no time getting down to business.

“It’s been recently drawn to my attention that one of our own’s quality of life has been brought down significantly. Starscream, I know that the ‘no-fly’ rule was agreed to but I now see that it might be a tad bit cruel. Although Ultra Magnus needs to be present to officially veto it, I’ll allow a brief breach. Knightflyer has… eagerly agreed to be your escort.” The seeker's wings, once screwed up high and tense seemed to melt from his back as his optics widened in disbelief. “I realize Knightflyer has yet to be cleared by First Aid but if I know her as well as you, she wouldn’t wait for my permission either. So, that being said, keep it under fifteen minutes and ONLY in grid Alpha. We need you two close by, in case of trouble.” The seeker stared at him for a worrying moment, until he snapped to attention and gave his best salute.

“Yes, sir! You have my word!” Starscream declared before he dropped his arm to hold out his servo to Knightflyer. “well, my dear, let’s not waste those fifteen minutes!” in a flash she was at Starscream’s side taking his hand. She looked over her shoulder and nodded at Rodimus before the pair soared into the air. Rodimus watched them level out and follow the perimeter that encircled the base and sent a private message to Blaster to not issue an alert about them taking to the air. With one last look to the sky, he sauntered back to his office, hoping to ready himself for the wrath that was Ultra Magnus.


	23. Chapter 23

It took Starscream a moment to realize he was flying; he was in the air and that he should enjoy it. And enjoy it he did! Without realizing it he had flown past Knightflyer and kicked his thrusters in full. The barrage of wind against his body felt like heaven. Suddenly he was aware of her far behind and circled back to fly beside her.

“You don’t have to hold back for me. Have some fun!” she tried to encourage him. As rebellious as she was to her own situation, she knew she shouldn’t push. If it wasn’t for the excitement, she knew she’d feel less robust and might actually fall out of the sky. Starscream just took her hand and stole a quick kiss.

“Just being in the air with you is enough. I don’t know how I can ever repay what you’ve done for me. I know I was getting frustrated without flying, trying to keep it to myself. You must’ve seen… I’m sorry for worrying you!” he squeezed her hand as he guided them to a cliff overlooking the compound. As they landed the feme brushed her talons through her hair as the wind caught it. The seeker couldn’t help but see those strange colors, stars, and moons at her back once again. But this time there were no tears in her optics just a serene look of peace on her faceplates. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her tightly and just held her to him.

“For the life of me, I can’t imagine what I’ve done in my life to deserve you…” he quietly whimpered against her. Blushing to herself, the feme stroked his shoulders in comfort. 

“Well, maybe I’m your punishment,” she teased him slightly until he pulled back to look into her optics, his piercing crimson boring into azure.

“In that case, I take it willingly,” he said without a hint of jest or humor. “If my love for you is a sentence, then I’ll gladly serve for the rest of my life.” Knightflyer stood stock still as her processor reeled. ‘Is that a proposal, is he going to…?!’ the feme’s already fogged mind started to churn with incomplete thoughts and fears. ‘Do Cybertronians even have a concept like marriage, would he, is he…?!’ her mental panic must’ve been visible as Starscream became concerned. “Hey, are you, are you ok?!” he gripped her arms tightly. She seemed to snap out of her mental miasma after a second.

“Oh, yes, yes! I’m fine…ha-ha! I was just…thinking we should get back. Magnus will be back soon.” Starscream apparently was fine with that explanation and let go of her. She shook her helm and looked out over the horizon. With a deep intake, she turned to face Starscream and stepped backward over the cliff’s edge. She hovered out a few feet over the expansive drop beneath her and held out her servo to Starscream. “Coming?”

He was about to take her hand until her optics went dark…and she plummeted towards the ground. Starscream didn’t even have half a second to register what had happened before he dove for her. The distance to the rocky terrain was shorter than was comfortable. He put everything he had into beating her to the ground, just in time to catch her before she struck it. He caught her twenty feet from the surface and landed quickly to assess her.

“Hey!” he shouted, hoping to wake her. When she didn’t respond he was suddenly aware of how vulnerable they were. She was weak, unconscious and he was unarmed! Hurriedly he scanned the area for anything hostile, Decepticon, human or Autobot. Finding nothing he searched her for injuries but came up negative. Upon checking her Energon levels he was horrified to find them frighteningly low. As he set up a transfusion, he cursed himself for going along with her idea which she was unfit for. “I should’ve been paying attention, I should’ve…I’m sorry!” he sobbed holding her close. ‘She risked herself, again! For my sake…’ he swiftly stood and took off for the base. He was already landing in a full sprint as he radioed for the medic.

/ “Starscream to First Aid! I’m coming with Knightflyer! She’s collapsed…”/

/ “Acknowledged, Starscream. We’ll be ready. Bring her, swiftly please…”/

As the medic finished his transmission the seeker almost broke down the sickbay doors as he entered, clinging to his mate, venting heavily. First Aid simply pointed to the diagnostic berth and Starscream wasted no time bringing her to it. First Aid and Perceptor circled the feme and both started scans and readying some Energon. As Perceptor brought the canister close the seeker silently disconnected his line and made room for the two to work. However, he didn’t let go of her hand as he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

“What happened?” First Aid inquired without raising his helm from the screen he was studying.

“Well, we had just been flying the perimeter…”

“You were WHAT?!” First Aid’s voice echoed through the med bay. Perceptor dropped a set of scanners and Sideswipe curled up in a corner at the force of the medic’s voice. “I never cleared her for that!! She’s shown no improvement in the last week and I’ve have been considering confining her to sickbay. If I find out she’s been going against my recommendations to please you…” Anger and frustration rose in the seeker. To think he’d risk her well being for his own amusement was appalling to him! Before he could respond to the medic’s insult the sickbay doors opened again, this time with Rodimus bursting through.

“Her status, now!” his massive frame heaved from worry and guilt but was non the less imposing. All optics froze on him, shocked to stillness before First Aid cleared his throat.

“Sir, I’ve been informed after an unauthorized flight she…”

“I authorized it…” Rodimus stated plainly. First Aid froze for a moment, collecting himself. Starscream saw in the mech’s face the pain he, himself felt. After a rather uncomfortable bout of silence, the medic found his voice again.

“As I was saying, Starscream just arrived saying she had collapsed after partaking of…unauthorized activity.” Rodimus looked to the seeker and joined his side, trying to offer support. He watched the mech stroke her hand and winced.

“I didn’t know. I should’ve but she said… she said she felt fine!” Starscream shook in his pedes. “I should’ve checked myself but…” he lost his voice and just stared at the ground. Rodimus felt his spark break for the seeker. He knew Knightflyer would try to hide weakness, not wanting to be fussed over. The Prime put a servo on the seeker’s shoulder. Starscream couldn’t bring himself to look him the optics. Neither moved as First Aid and Perceptor did their jobs as they scanned her over and over.


	24. Chapter 24

Perceptor and First Aid spent what felt like hours scanning and analyzing the feme. Starscream and Rodimus were asked to wait in a seating area, away from the experts trying to pinpoint her malady. Rodimus made a point to sit close to the seeker, hoping to ease his mind somewhat. Starscream’s fidgeting proved that his intention had failed. He looked at the seeker and smiled warmly.

“Don’t worry. She’s a tough one.” He offered but saw the seeker sink farther down in his seat.

“She shouldn’t have to be. I should be able to protect, to care for her…” Starscream covered his face in mortification.

“You and I… we both know she wouldn’t allow that. She prides herself on her independence, even to her own detriment.” the Prime moaned. “She’s always kept her secrets until she deems certain people worthy of knowing. The fact she kept her condition from each of us, well…” he trailed off. The seeker tried to look at Rodimus. “She hates it, I think” the Prime continued. “She doesn’t want to be looked at as a prophet or messiah or whatever, as she told me once. But I’ve seen since she got her Cybertronian form. I’ve seen her strive to prove herself as if to justify what she is in more times than I can count. Even if we say it’s enough, I doubt she could justify it with herself. That’s why she’s special. She is always thinking of others and what she can do. If she doesn’t measure up to her own standards then I doubt we can change her mind.” Rodimus cast his gaze to the floor. Starscream noticed and recognized the pain he was feeling himself. They remained in mutual silence until First Aid came into the room. Both mechs stood in readiness.

“She’s stable now, so neither of you has to worry at the moment.” Both seeker and Prime let a heated blast vent before they collected themselves. “That being said, I do have something to show you.” He guided both Prime and seeker back to her bedside. She was unconscious, looking in peaceful slumber. As they came to her side Skyfire came into the med bay, obviously uncomfortable as he stooped the enter. “Perfect timing! Skyfire, can you go over these readings with me?” the medic addressed the massive jet.

“Of course, doctor.” He answered, but not before noting his old friend’s worried expression. He nodded to Starscream before joining First Aid and Perceptor. Shaking from frustration, he barely felt Rodimus put an assuring servo on his shoulder once again. He just stared at the floor. ‘I’m a scientist! I should be able to figure out what’s wrong with her! Primus, I’m a failure!’ he raged in his processor!

As the Autobot’s Prime tried to reassure Starscream that his love would recover and be alright, Skyfire froze and lifted his helm from the microscope he was viewing.

“It can’t be…”

Both Rodimus and Starscream zeroed in on him and were at his side in nanoseconds. For a moment Skyfire was at a loss. His old friend and his leader here both eager for a diagnosis he wasn’t sure he could give. The idea was preposterous. Starscream’s stare bored into his spark as he looked to his friend.

“Well?!” the seeker screeched. It took Skyfire a minute to look over the findings a second time before he found his voice.

“Well, from the data collected by First Aid and Perceptor…” he trailed off as he nodded to the aforementioned mechs. “I can only speculate, because if it’s the case… it’s entirely unprecedented!” after looking to the other mech’s confused expressions, Skyfire knew he had to dial it back a bit. “Ok, ok, gimme a minute to explain, alright?” as Rodimus and Starscream nodded he vented and gathered his thoughts.

Skyfire brought up a recent scan of the femes spark chamber and scanned through it until he found something no one else had before and amplified the magnification. “There!” he exclaimed as he pointed towards it. Everyone present, closed in around him, including Sideswipe. He brought up the display to show it in detail. It looked like a spark, albeit a lot smaller, and attached to her own. “I believe that is the cause of her Energon depletion,” Skyfire stated.

“A parasite?” Starscream said suddenly. “Then, remove it!” the thought of something feeding off his love made him sickened to the core. It was Skyfire’s hand on his shoulder that stilled him. Which was short-lived as the seeker screamed in pain as his friend stuck him with an extractor in his elbow joint!

“What. The. Hell?!” was all the seeker could vocalize at the moment. Skyfire didn’t even acknowledge Starscream’s discomfort and went straight to work, analyzing something. As the seeker’s anger seethed, he walked up to the huge jet and screamed. “What was that for?!” Skyfire remained silent as he examined what he was studying. The seeker, impatient, grabbed his arm but was shoved aside, almost to the floor. Skyfire, the gentlest sparked and easy-going of any mech the seeker had ever known, wore a mask of sincerity and worry. Starscream gave himself a moment to collect himself before he looked at his old friend again. Skyfire looked at him, with a gaze of serious implication.

“My friend, it looks like you are going to be a father, the first of us since Primus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally did it! no joke, I was stressing on this for a while. I've read other fics that broach this subject regarding Transformers and wanted to make the " science" seem somewhat plausible. here's hoping I can make it work. also gratz to those that may have picked up on the hints early on. you know who you are ;)


	25. Chapter 25

“What do you...?” Starscream tried to comprehend what he had just heard. The word, alien yet familiar, rolled around in his processor. As far as he knew it only applied to organic life, a subject he wasn’t familiar with. Skyfire, on the other hand, was somewhat of an expert. The seeker could never understand why he was so fascinated with a fragile, short-lived organism. Rodimus and Sideswipe seemed completely confused while Perceptor and First Aid stared at the screen displaying her spark. Starscream silently approached the image, zeroing in on the small, gently pulsing orb of light attached her own. ‘If it’s not a parasite, then what…’, part of him felt he knew the answer, even if his own mind couldn’t believe it.

“I’m sorry for taking that CNA sample so abruptly,” Skyfire offered. “It was the last bit of information I needed to confirm my suspicion.” Still lost for words, Starscream broke his gaze from the screen to look at his old friend. “First Aid had already scanned the energy signature of the other spark and it is indeed Cybertronian. The anomaly is that there are traces of two separate CNA signature’s, so I had to get a fresh sample to cross-reference. I… ended up finding two definite matches.” The large jet paused, hoping to see some form of understanding from Starscream. The smaller mech continued to stare back in silence until he looked at Knightflyer, where she lay.

“What, where did they come from…?” Starscream asked in an apprehensive tone, not looking away from his love. Skyfire’s nervous shifting drew his focus away from her and he stared his old friend directly in the optics. “What. Did. You. Find…?” his ruby optics blazed as his impatience doubled by the second.

“As I said before, there are two distinct signatures, both matching profiles in the medical database.” Skyfire brought up another display beside the image of her spark. Two smaller windows scrolled quickly through CNA data until images of both sources came up beside the readings. One was Knightflyer, the other…

“But,” Starscream stammered, “That’s not… that’s impossible!” sharply he turned to face his friend. “You have to be wrong. One of the samples is tainted or something! It has to be because THIS! This doesn’t happen!” Rodimus, still clueless as to what the two were talking about joining them. Skyfire noted the annoyed look on the Prime’s face and realized not everyone in the room would understand what he was saying.

“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be vague, sir.” The scientist drew Rodimus’ attention to the screen and pointed to the small spark. “This other spark is a new Cybertronian life. A new life created by combining the CNA of two individuals, Knightflyer’s… and Starscream’s. What we are seeing is reproduction without the use of Vector Sigma, cold construction, spark fields, or the Matrix of Leadership.” The Prime’s helm quickly turned to Knightflyer then to the seeker. His optics were frozen on his large friend, stunned to disbelief. Rodimus looked at the other two scientists.

“Perceptor, how likely is it that her Matrix had something to do with this?” The other mech scratched his chin as if he was doing a million calculations at once. After a moment he consulted the computer and performed a few more scans of the feme. Meanwhile, the seeker remained stock still, as though his processor had shut down. Perceptor looked away from the screen with a defeated shrug.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t enough data to confirm such a theory. However, we mustn’t dismiss the possibility.” The seeker's lack of response was worrying the stoic scientist. As he approached, he reached out to Starscream’s arm. “Well, it looks like congratulations are in…” as his servo reached him the seeker’s knees buckled and he fell onto his hands and knees. Rodimus and Skyfire were at his side in seconds, trying to haul him to his feet. He barely registered their voices, as they guided him to the berth, he was closest to.

The once dreaded air commander sat silent, disconnected from the world around him. His mind kept repeating a single word, ‘father’. A word that should have no literal implications, where Cybertronians were concerned. Granted, the term had been loosely used for those responsible for the creation of the Dinobots, Throttle bots, Constructicons and the Aerial bots. However, none of them had been created from their creator’s actual CNA. Sparks weren’t simply whipped up in a lab and deposited into empty shells like an assembly line. Nothing short of the intervention of Primus could create spontaneous life. Suddenly he recalled Rodimus asking about the femes Matrix and he started to snap out of his shock. ‘Of course. It would be you to break the mold, my love,’ he raised his helm and looked at Knightflyer.

Skyfire gently shook Starscream’s shoulder until he looked at him with a completely lost expression. The large jet scanned the room and saw Sideswipe fidgeting with his storage compartment. “Sideswipe!” he called out to the Lambo. The young mech inched over, wondering why he was being called over. “Sideswipe, do you have any high grade on hand?” Skyfire raised one brow with a knowing look. Sideswipe hesitated but instead of protesting, he produced an Engex flask. Skyfire took it and forced it into Starscream’s servo. “Drink it!” he ordered, slightly rattling the seeker. After a couple of blinks, he tipped it back and drained it in one gulp. The powerful flavor of the beverage served to bring the seeker back to awareness as he sputtered and choked. “That’s better,” Skyfire sighed as he retrieved the flask and returned it to Sideswipe. “Thought you checked out for good, little buddy.” Normally any jokes about his size would illicit a tirade of cursing but Starscream only nodded.

“I… believe Rodimus may be correct.” The seeker looked to his other side where the Prime had remained, ready to assist the rattled mech. “There may not be an actual scientific explanation, for what has apparently happened. From what I’ve seen of her capabilities, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is… is… Skyfire? There’s a term, right? A name for her kind of…condition?”

“Well, yes, there is.” He cleared his vocal processor, seemingly uncomfortable using it in the present company. “This may not be the exact same type of situation but I think, to call her pregnant, wouldn’t be a stretch. Typically, with organics, the carrier organism supports the growth of the offspring within their bodies until they are formed well enough to survive outside of them. They call that stage, giving birth, in which the offspring is forced out…”

“Ok! Ok! Ok! We get it! Holy fuck!” Sideswipe exclaimed as he covered his audios. Everyone stared at him after his outburst, most not looking impressed. “What?! Do you guys ever watch The Discovery Channel? I dare you!” shaking his head, the red twin simply marched out of the med bay, looking to refill his flask.

“Skyfire,” Rodimus’ normally strong voice was almost a whisper. “Seeing as this situation is, as you say, unprecedented… How much risk will she, they face?” his optics practically pleaded for assurance from the other giant.

“I’m afraid there is no way of knowing, sir,” Skyfire looked to Starscream, who once again was looking in Knightflyer’s direction. As much of a happy occasion as it should’ve been, the air was tense with worry and uncertainty. Especially for Starscream. He was completely out of his element.

“Well then, as our resident expert in organics, I would like Skyfire to be directly involved with her care from this point forward. In the meantime, we will keep her condition undisclosed. For her safety as well as others. I’ll catch up with Sideswipe and let him know.” He paused for a moment as if distracted before suppressing a sigh. “Ultra Magnus has returned. I’ll be letting him know as well.” As he approached Starscream the seeker made as if to stand but Rodimus stopped him and smiled. “She’s in good hands, Starscream. We won’t let anything happen to them.” The seeker merely bowed and returned to his vigil, lost in thought.


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks to Daniel, the Witwicky family got involved before anyone could prevent it. He had seen Starscream fly in with Knightflyer and had pestered his parents to see if she was ok. As the family strode into the med bay, Skyfire was the only one relieved. Despite his knowledge and study, humans would be an excellent reference for him to start with. After First Aid and Perceptor agreed to it Skyfire explained to the adults the situation. Daniel only understood part of the conversation but got the jest of how her condition was uncertain. The boy looked over to Starscream who sat by her side, holding her hand, optics weary from worry. Spike and Carly joined their son and Spike sent them ahead, deciding to stick around for a few minutes.

The man looked at the seeker and empathy welled up inside him. He vividly remembered learning when Carly was pregnant and how terrified he had been. The idea of having a child, in these uncertain times, was almost impossible to comprehend. He remembered when his own father saw the fear in his eyes and how his dad tried to reassure him. Starscream had no one that could offer anything close to that comfort. At least, no one Cybertronian. Spike used a small lift to raise himself up high enough so he didn’t have to strain his neck to look at the mech. The seeker didn’t move or look at the man but he knew he was there. Starscream was waiting for him to shoot some kind of indignity at him.

“Well, I’d offer you a cigar but…” Spike awkwardly joked. The seeker turned to look at him, a confused frown on his face. “It’s kind of a tradition when you learn someone is going to be a father. At least, it is with humans…” Starscream blinked and looked back at Knightflyer.

“Human traditions… I’m sure she’d understand if she had heard you. I’m…I’m sorry. I’m having trouble focusing right now.” The mech’s voice quivered ever so slightly but Spike didn’t need to hear more.

“Terrifying, isn’t it?” he blurted out, making the tall seeker look at him in surprise and slight disdain. “I know it is. I’ve been in your shoes, so to speak. I don’t think any man is prepared to hear they’re going to be a father. The idea that you are going to be responsible for raising, nurturing, protecting a new life… it was the most absolutely fucking frightening thing in my whole life. Well, right up there with possibly getting dissolved inside Unicron, that is…” The man crossed his arms and looked forward, ignoring the ex Decepticon’s dirty look. The mech’s expression softened somewhat and nodded to the man beside him.

“How…how did you overcome it?” the mech almost whispered, making Spike look up at him. If Spike hadn’t known any better, he would’ve sworn the seeker was fighting back tears. The man genuinely smiled at him, relieved that the sire to be trusted him.

“My own father, he was a big help. He told me about his own fears and the struggles he went through while I grew up. I had always looked up to him and to find out he had gone through the same thing, it was comforting.” The mechs optics dimmed, as he sighed as he looked to the floor. “You might not have a father yourself but I’ll try to fill in, as best I can.” Starscream’s optics bulged from his helm in shock. The man winked at the bot, “Us parents have to have each other’s back.”

“I… thank you, Spike. It’s more than I deserve.” Starscream bowed humbly to the small man, offering a shoulder for him to lean on in uncharted territory. Spike gave the mech's arm a good slap before he lowered the lift to catch up with his family. Before he left, he turned to a dumbfounded flyer.

“Let me know when the mood swings kick in.” With that, he left the med bay as Starscream sat wondering what the man had meant.

During the next few hours, Starscream asked Skyfire for some reference material on human reproduction. The other scientist was shocked at his sudden but understandable interest. He gave the seeker a brief rundown on DNA, which would help him understand the literature. He had to steel his nerves as he studied the graphic details of the birthing process and suddenly was presented with a quandary.

“If her spark is supporting a developing one, then what’s going to happen when it’s fully formed?” he said out loud. Skyfire and First Aid had also been pondering that point. “How likely is it that it will need a frame to be ready to receive it?” Starscream directed the question to the other mechs in the room.

“Anything is possible at this point,” Perceptor crossed his arms in reflection. “We could start designing one right away, just in case.” Everyone seemed in agreeance with that plan.

“Well, it should be a frame capable of flight.” Starscream immediately inserted. “What? She and I are both fliers. Besides what I’ve read the offspring normally carry the traits of both…parents.” Skyfire shrugged, knowing that Starscream would be insistent on that design choice. “We may need to get Wheeljack involved at this point, perhaps even…Brainstorm?” as he hesitantly said the hyper mechs name the others sighed apprehensively but also agreed with his proposal. After remaining somewhat quiet First Aid spoke up.

“I think, before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to wait to confer with our patient. After all, she still has no idea about her condition.” The medic approached Starscream and gestured to Knightflyer. “As much of a shock as the news was for you, how do you think she’ll take it?” the tri-colored mech realized the doctor was right. She was still unconscious and had yet to be told that she was going to become a mother.

“You’re right, doctor. We should wait to make definite plans going forward.” Starscream retrieved a blank datapad and sat with Knightflyer again, this time making notes of anything that popped up in his processor. Putting his mind to work, problem-solving was putting him more at ease. Using his greatest asset, his intelligence, was the only way he could see himself helping her. The parallels her situation shared with the human version had left him feeling helpless. She was the one expending the energy, taking all the risk to her own health. In the end, no matter the outcome, he knew she would be the one to bear the burden. ‘I wonder if Spike felt the same way…?’ the seeker wondered, intending on asking the man later on.

Starscream put down the datapad for a moment and tried to imagine the future. If this new life was successfully brought into the world… What would it be like? Would it have a fully developed processor? Would it have to be taught everything like an organic child? Would it have similar abilities like himself or Knightflyer? Would it be as powerful as her? Would he be able to protect it from the Decepticons or other enemies…? His spark twisted in his chest at the thought of failing in that regard. As his old master’s face blinked in his mind's eye he almost snorted from amusement.

‘Megatron, what a fool you were. Thinking you could control the power of life itself.’ There were times he still couldn’t believe the things he’d seen or experienced Knightflyer’s marvels. ‘You believed you could manipulate the power of Primus for your own gain. I wonder what your reaction would be if you were to learn he graced me, us, instead?’ He allowed himself to feel prideful at that thought. For as unworthy of any mercy, as he had believed himself to be before, divinity had smiled upon him. Primus, it seemed, had plans for him and Knightflyer and deemed him worthy of something miraculous. He took her hand again and smiled. “Hurry up and wake, my love. So, I can tell you the good news.”


End file.
